ClFE  OF 


REY.i.LKEPHART,D.D. 


tihraxy  of  Che  tiveoloc[ical  ^tminary 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

Ruius  H.    LeFevre 


iX  o 


Rev.  Isaiah  iMj'ayetic  Kephart,  D.D. 


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m^i 


iy52 


LIFE  of 


ReY.yaliLKeplidrt,D.D, 


^ 

REV.  CYRUS  J   KEPHART.  D.D. 

and 

REV.  WILLIAM   R.   FUNK,  D.D. 

tV  i  t  h     an    Introduction    by 
BISHOP  G.  M.  MATHEWS.  D.D. 


Nineteen  Hundred  and  Nine 

United   Brethren   Publishing   House 

Dayton,  Ohio 


Pkess  of 

United  Brethren  I'ublishino  House 

Dayton,  Ohio 

1909 


CONTENTS 


chapter  page 

Introduction  _..--- 

I.    Ancestry       ------       9 

II.     Boyhood  Days  -  -  -  -  -      33 

III.  Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  -  -  -      53 

IV.  Student,  Minister,  Educator        -  -  -77 
V.     Christian   Patriot              -            -            -  -      99 

VI.     Editor  ------     133 

VII.     Special  Traits  of  Character        -  -  -     157 

VIII.    Relation  to  Society  -  -  -  -     173 

IX.    Religious  Beliefs    -  -  -  -  -     187 

X.     His  Own  Writings  -  -  -  -    203 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Rev.  Isaiah  Lafayette  Kephart,  D.D. 

Rev.  Henry  and  Sarah  Kephart. 

The  Old-Fashioned  Loom  and  Spinning- Wheel. 

Dr.  Kephart  on  his  First  Circuit,  and  while  Pastor  at  Hum- 
melstown,  Pennsylvania. 

Schoolhouse  in  Pennsylvania  where  Dr.  Kephart  Attended. 

Chaplain  and  Mrs.  L  L.  Kephart. 

Photograph  of  Wife  and  Son  Carried  through  Grant's  Final 
Campaigns. 

While  Actuary  and  Editor,  1881. 

Dr.  Kephart  as  an  Army  Chaplain. 

While  Professor  in  Western  College,  1872. 

Mrs.  Kephart,  Doctor  Kephart,  Belle  (deceased),  and  Horace. 

Dr.  L  L.  Kephart  and  his  Intimate  Friend,  John  D.  Gill. 

Editor  Kephart's  Home  in  Dayton,  916  N.  Main  Street. 

Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart  as  he  Appeared  Daily  at  his  Office  Desk. 

Rafting  Scene,  such  as  I.  L.  Kephart  Participated  In. 

Arrival  of  Funeral  Cortege  at  First  United  Brethren  Church. 

Scene  at  the  Grave  in  Beautiful  Woodland  Cemetery  Over- 
looking Dayton. 

Where  Editor  I.  L.  Kephart  Lies  Buried. 

The  Tomb  of  Dr.  Kephart  in  Woodland  Cemetery. 


INTRODUCTION 


A  MOUNTAINOUS  man  is  the  world's  greatest  possession.  In 
him  strength,  elevation,  and  dignity  are  combined  in  striking 
proportions.  His  massive  character  rests  upon  the  rock 
foundation  of  eternal  truth,  v^^hile  its  majestic  browr  towers 
into  the  infinite.  Civilization's  story  of  every  age,  both  in 
church  and  state,  is  the  charming  record  of  mountain-minded 
men.  The  strength  and  influence  of  their  leadership  command 
the  admiration  of  those  who  study  their  battles,  triumphs,  and 
progress.  Towering  far  above  the  lowlands,  they  have  the 
passion  of  achievement  and  the  strength  of  influence,  whole- 
some and  abiding. 

Goodness  is  a  treasure  of  inestimable  value.  It  clothes 
personality  with  a  power  that  counts  far  more  than  all  the 
prized  accidents  of  earth.  This  world  possesses  no  abiding 
wealth  but  that  of  personal  integrity.  The  fruitage  of  a  good 
life  is  its  joy  and  crown.  "A  good  man  is  the  ripe  fruit  earth 
holds  up  to  God."  Life's  great  task  is  the  making  of  manhood. 
Its  crowning  issue  is  character,  the  only  treasure  that  endures. 
The  clayey  tenement  house  fades,  fails,  and  crumbles,  but  in  the 
very  crumbling  the  imprisoned  tenant  is  liberated  and  unhin- 
dered in  its  onward  march  to  its  eternal  crowning.  Personal 
character  thus  becomes  more  luminous  and  consciously  real 
as  the  eternal  ages  flow  on.  The  great  and  the  good  are 
therefore  immortal.  They  belong  to  two  worlds.  Akin  to 
God,  heaven  lays  eternal  claim  upon  them.  Faithful  tx>  earth, 
their  toils  and  achievements  leave  an  imprint  upon  their  age 
more  enduring  than  the  inscriptions  upon  painted  canvas  or 
marble  statue. 

Human  immortality  of  this  kind  allows  no  contingency. 
Men  live  on  forever,  from  choice  and  purpose.  God  has 
ordained  that  the  moral  and  spiritual  investments  which  men 
put   into  life   shall   not  be  lost  out  of  it.     Great  characters. 


Irilroduction 

strong  in  life,  cannot  be  forgotten  in  death.  The  memory  of 
the  righteous  will  not  perish  so  long  as  this  world  needs  the 
inspiration  of  their  illustrious  lives.  Some  artist's  hand,  with 
brush  or  pen,  will  be  moved  to  portray  the  secret  of  their 
greatness  and  tell  the  story  of  their  goodness.  Why  should 
the  fragrant  flower  of  a  rich  life  be  lost  in  the  desert  of 
human  forgetfulness? 

Here  memory  performs  a  blessed  function.  Through  its 
voice  yesterday  greets  to-day  and  pays  rich  tribute  to  to-mor- 
row. Memory  holds  in  its  grasp  the  treasures  of  the  past, 
which  it  bequeaths  to  the  future  for  the  study  and  inspiration 
of  coming  generations.  All  men  are  debtors  one  to  another. 
Generations,  as  they  come  and  go,  discharge  their  indebted- 
ness to  their  predecessors  by  pouring  their  wealth  into  the 
lap  of  their  successors. 

Biography  thus  has  its  wholesome  uses.  While  the  printed 
record  of  a  good  and  great  life  does  not  help  the  dead,  yet 
it  inspires  the  living.  Personal  example  is  an  impressive  and 
convincing  teacher.  Great  truths  and  virtues  embodied  in  a 
noble  character  stir  those  who  follow  after  to  high  ideals  and 
aspirations,  and  he  who  hands  down  the  name  and  memory 
of  such  a  personality  makes  a  rich  contribution  to  the  wealth 
of  the  world's  literature. 

The  authors  of  this  volume  have  contributed  such  a  service 
to  the  Church,  and  even  to  the  wider  world,  in  furnishing 
the  biography  of  the  princely  life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart,  D.D. 
This  volume  is  of  special  interest  and  value  because  of  the 
happy  combination  of  its  joint  authorship.  Perhaps  among 
all  men  in  our  Church,  Cyrus  J.  Kephart,  D.D.,  whose  close 
touch  with  his  brother  from  childhood  enabled  him  to  be  the 
best  interpreter  of  his  life,  and  W.  R.  Funk,  D.D.,  for  many 
years  intimately  associated  with  him  in  official  relation  and 
personal  friendship,  are  best  qualified  to  furnish  to  the  reading 
public  this  true  story  of  his  long  and  eventful  career. 

In  this  service  of  love  they  have  tenderly  laid  upon  the 
immortal  brow  of  Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart  a  beautiful  garland, 
fragrant  with  the  graces  and  virtue  of  a  noble  character,  in 
language  befitting  a  great  soul.  What  else  can  be  added? 
And  yet  the  writer  of  these  preliminary  words,  speaking  out 
of  a  soul  knit  in  true  friendship  and  grateful  blessings 
received,  craves  to  unite  in  keeping  alive  the  memory  of  such 
a  hero.     He  ventures  to  add  to  that  wreath  already  placed  a 


Introduction 

single  flower,  wet  with  the  dewdrop  of  an  affectionate  tear 
and  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  a  grateful,  loving  heart. 

One  could  not  be  long  in  intimate  association  with  Doctor 
Kephart  without  discovering  his  worthy  pride  in  the  streams 
of  influence  that  enriched  his  early  life.  He  knew  that  he 
had  inherited  the  rich  birth-gift  of  ancestral  blood,  and  with 
that  inheritance  the  spirit  of  personal  honor,  conscientious- 
ness, and  manliness.  He  rejoiced  in  the  splendid  home 
environments  which  helped  to  mold  his  character  and  give 
direction  to  his  earlier  years.  With  joyous  pride  he  cherished 
the  memory  of  the  experiences  of  his  rugged  pioneer  life  in 
the  mountains,  where  the  fires  of  poverty  and  the  discipline 
of  struggle  cleansed  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  sturdy  man- 
hood. The  very  recital  of  those  early  experiences  caused  his 
soul  to  reach  up  to  heights  of  manliness  and  nobility. 

Added  to  his  broad  culture,  nature  with  lavish  hand 
bestowed  upon  him  gifts  that  gave  him  marvelous  versatility. 
He  was  not  a  man  of  one  idea.  His  furnishing  had  many 
sides.  Wit,  humor,  anecdote,  repartee,  invective,  adulation 
were  weapons  wielded  at  his  own  pleasure  with  telling  effect. 
His  ability  to  write  a  leading  editorial,  preach  an  evangelical 
sermon,  deliver  an  educational  lecture  or  memorial  address, 
or  flash  off  his  pen  sparks  of  poetic  genius  was  indeed  unusual. 
His  genuine  humor  was  charming,  the  sharp  blade  of  his  satire 
cut  deep,  and  his  mellifluous  words  were  as  sweet  as  the 
droppings  of  the  honeycomb. 

Doctor  Kephart  was  a  recognized  leader,  not  self  announced 
or  pronounced,  but  a  real  champion  of  the  best  thought  and 
advanced  movement  of  the  church  and  state.  He  was  intensely 
aggressive,  and  yet  always  conservatively  sane  and  safe  in  his 
leadership.  Higher  Christian  education,  moral  reform,  social 
regeneration,  civic  righteousness,  and  religious  progress 
always  received  his  able  and  vigorous  support.  In  all  these 
things  he  adhered  to  principle  and  was  courageous  in  the 
advocacy  of  positive  truth  and  sane  measures.  He  never 
trifled  with  a  great  cause.  With  deep  convictions  he  was 
loyal  to  his  conceptions  of  right  and  dauntless  in  the  face  of 
all  opposition.  God  had  made  him  true  to  the  core  of  his 
being.  He  wore  not  the  soft  raiment  of  the  time-server.  He 
was  no  slender  reed,  swayed  and  broken  by  every  wind  that 
blew  against  him.  Everybody  knew  where  he  stood  and 
what  he  stood  for.     Men  admired  his  conservative  optimism 


[nlrojuition 

and  gladlj'  followed  his  leadership.  He  believed  with  tremen- 
dous conviction  in  the  eternal  law  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest ;  that  all  the  forces  of  truth  and  righteousness,  in  the 
past  and  present,  move  on,  under  God,  toward  a  glorious 
finality  in  the  progress  of  his  kingdom.  He  wrote  and  spoke 
of  this  final  outcome  with  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  and  the 
strength  of  a  spiritual  giant.  His  face  was  set  toward  the 
east.  He  waited  patiently  for  the  dawning  sunrise  of  every 
great  moral  movement  and  followed  the  sun  to  the  zenith  of 
its  power  and  glory.  His  heart,  even  in  his  older  years,  was 
young  with  hope  in  the  fiercest  storm  and  darkest  hour.  In 
this  respect  he  was  a  rare  man  of  God.  But  in  all  his  leader- 
ship he  was  a  true  Christian  gentleman.  Though  strong  in 
his  convictions,  fearless  in  his  defense  and  advocacy  of  what 
he  believed,  he  was  uniformly  tolerant  and  kind  toward  those 
who  differed  from  him.  He  threw  the  mantle  of  charity  over 
the  frailties  and  infirmities  of  his  opposing  brethren.  This 
Christlike  spirit  enshrined  him  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  best 
knew  him. 

Especially  during  the  last  half  century  of  Doctor  Kephart's 
public  career  and  official  life  was  he  associated  with  the  his- 
tory of  our  Church.  This  made  him  a  molding  factor  and 
determining  force  in  its  thought  and  life.  Being  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  advance  movements  o.f  his  denomination  in  that 
period  of  its  progressive  thought  and  transitional  life,  his 
biography  is  especially  valuable  to  those  who  are  students 
of  the  genius,  history,  and  fortunes  of  our  Church. 

As  a  preacher,  teacher,  soldier,  educator,  and  editor.  Doctor 
Kephart  will  live  in  the  memory  of  all  those  whom  he  influ- 
enced and  blessed.  But  he  was  loved  most  and  will  be  remem- 
bered longest  for  the  steady  shining  of  his  stalwart  Christian 
character.  The  light  of  his  noble  life  was  no  meteoric  display 
that  flashed  out  in  the  heavens  and  then  vanished.  He  was 
rather  a  fixed  luminary  in  the  galaxy  of  Church  leaders.  His 
character  not  only  guided  others  in  the  path  of  right  and 
duty,  but  being  anchored  to  the  eternal  verities  of  God  will 
outshine  and  outlast  the  stars.  How  beautiful  was  his  place- 
fastness  in  Christ,  the  divine  Son  of  God.  The  fires  of  over 
a  half  century  did  not  burn  out  his  fidelity,  nor  the  storms  of 
threescore  years  and  ten  sweep  him  from  his  anchorage.  They 
only  made  his  character  stronger  and  more  enduring. 

But  how  vain  and  futile  are  human  words  to  express  one's 


Introduction 

appreciation  of  the  solid  virtues  and  qualities  of  a  good  man ! 
Since  Doctor  Kephart,  our  beloved  friend,  has  so  recently 
gone  from  us,  one  can  scarcely  realize  that  his  pen  is  simply 
engaged  in  the  reminiscent  portraiture  of  his  princely  char- 
acter and  life.  The  warm  pressure  of  his  hand-grasp,  the 
enlivening  flash  of  his  penetrating  eyes,  and  the  charm  of  his 
living  presence  seem  but  yesterday.  Our  eyes  are  still  moist 
with  the  tears  of  parting.  He  seems  still  to  touch  our  elbow 
in  conscious  fellowship.  The  sound  of  his  voice  still  Hngers 
in  our  ears.  However,  we  know  that  though  his  form  has 
vanished  from  us,  his  monumental  influence  remains  and 
abides.  Surely  the  authors  of  this  book  have  honored  both 
themselves  and  the  whole  Church  in  perpetuating  the  memory 
of  his  noble  life.  Herein  lies  the  value  and  mission  of  this 
biography.  AH  who  read  it  will  prize  more  highly  this  inspir- 
ing example  of  concrete  Christianity,  as  they  discover  how  a 
true  servant  of  God  lived,  loved,  wrought,  and  triumphed. 

(Bishop)  G.  M.  Mathews. 

Chicago,  Illinois,  December  25.  190S. 


ANCESTRY 


Jesus,  Jesus,  thou  didst  die  on  the  cross  to  redeem  my 
soul  from  death ;  thou  didst  rise  from  the  dead  and  dost 
live  forever  with  the  Father  in  heaven;  and  because  thou 
hast  redeemed  me  and  dost  live,  I  shall  live  with  thee  forever 
in  the  glory  world.     Praise  the  Lord.    Amen. 

I.  L.  K. 

August  13,  1905. 


I. 

ANCESTRY 


The  name  "Kephart"  is  not  an  attempt  to  Anglicize 
the  German  "Gebhard,"  but  is  an  ancient  dialectical 
variant  of  it,  probably  Swiss.  The  pronunciation 
of  Gebhard  (also  written  Gebhardt  or  Gebhart)  is 
properly  indicated  in  English  by  spelling  it  Gep'hart. 

Both  Kephart  and  Gebhard  are  derived  from  the 
Old  High  German  Gebahard  (pronounced  Gay-bah- 
hart,  with  the  accent  on  the  first  syllable).  As  the 
German  language  developed  from  Old  through  Mid- 
dle to  New  High  German,  it  followed  the  familiar 
tendency  to  contraction,  and  thus  the  second  vowel 
of  Gebaihard  was  dropped,  making  a  word  of  two 
syllables  instead  of  three. 

Gebahard  was  a  highly-esteemed  surname  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  and  afterwards  became  a  common 
family  name.  It  was  borne  by  bishops  of  Eichstedt, 
Constance,  and  Regensberg,  and  by  the  archbishops 
of  Salzburg  in  the  eleventh  century.  As  for  its 
meaning,  there  is  no  question  among  etymologists. 
The  formative  elements  are  (in  Old  High  German) 
geba,  giver,  and  hard,  which  latter  word  signifies 
not  only  hard,  hars'h,  rough,  but  also  vehement,  pas- 
sionate, ardent,  eager,  zealous.  The  dictionary  of 
the  brothers  Grimm  defines  Gebhard  as  "a  man's 


12  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

name  with  the  signification,  in  accordance  with 
which  it  is  undoubtedly  formed,  of  one  who  gives 
willingly."  Various  quotations  from  early  German 
authors  are  given  by  the  Grimms  to  illustrate  the 
history  of  the  name,  among  them  being  this  from 
Martin  Luther:  "Gott  ist  ein  reicher  Quellender  born 
aller  Gnaden  und  Gaben,  und  billich  derrcchte  Gebhart 
heiszen  solt"  ("God  is  a  richly-fed  fountain  of  grace 
and  of  gifts,  and  justly  should  be  called  the  truly 
Generous  One"). 

Mediaeval  spelling  was  not  fixed  by  dictionaries 
or  by  a  widely-diffused  literature.  Every  one  who 
could  write  at  all  spelled  to  suit  himself,  and  it  was 
not  uncommon  for  the  same  individual  to  spell  his 
own  name  in  different  ways  at  different  times.  In 
German  there  is  close  affinity  between  g  and  k, 
b  and  p,  d  and  t,  which  often  were  used  inter- 
changeably by  careless  writers.  It  should  also  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  literature  of  the  Middle 
Ages  was  chiefly  Latin,  and  that  when  a  German 
or  other  modern  name  was  introduced  in  a  Latin 
document,  it  suffered  such  change  as  the  real  or 
supposed  laws  of  the  Latin  language  required. 
Other  causes,  such  as  the  degree  of  education  pos- 
sessed by  scribes  and  the  influence  of  dialectical 
varieties  of  pronunciation,  tended  to  multiply  dif- 
ferences in  spelling.  The  early  Kepharts  were 
Swiss,  and  in  the  Swiss-German  dialect  initial  G 
has  a  sound  almost  like  English  K.  Eorstemann, 
in  his  monumental  work  on  ancient  German  names, 
gives  the  following  twenty-three  different  spellings 
of  the  name,  which  have  been  copied  from  registers 


Ancestry  13 

and  other  documents  of  the  ninth  to  the  eleventh 
centuries :  Gebahard,  Gepahart,  Kebahart,  Kepa- 
hart,  Gebohard,  Kebohard,  Kebihart,  Gebehard, 
Gebehart,  Kebehard,  Kebehart,  Kepehart,  Geve- 
hard,  Geueherd,  Ghebehard,  Gebaard,  Gebhard, 
Gebhart,  Gifard,  Givard,  Gevard,  Gedebard,  Ege- 
baharttus  (that  is,  ego  Gebahartus).*  The  form 
Kepahart  occurs  frequently  in  Karajan's  "Das  Vcr- 
brnderungsbuch  von  St.  Peter  ru  Salzburg,"  and 
Kepehart  in  Goldast's  "Rerum  Alamannicarum  Scrip- 
tores."  If  Ave  drop  from  either  of  these  forms  the 
second  vowel,  as  was  done  when  Old  High  German 
changed  to  the  modern  literary  tongue,  we  have 
left  simply  the  name  as  spelled  to-day — "Kephart." 

Records  are  at  hand,  more  or  less  extensive,  of 
the  descendants  of  nine  eighteenth-century  Ameri- 
can Kephart  stocks,  but  which  fail  to  verify  positive 
connection  with  each  other.  These  nine  stocks  are 
the  following: 

1.  David   Kephart,   Sr.    (1729-1792),   of   Frederick 

(now  Carroll)  County,  Maryland. 

2.  Nicholas  Kephart   (1733P-1829?),  of  Berks  and 

Center    counties,     Pennsylvania.      Also    his 
brother  Adam. 

3.  John  Kephart  (1751-1822),  of  Montgomery  and 

Bucks  counties,  Pennsylvania. 

4.  Henry  Kephart   (1750 ),  of  Bucks  County, 

Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia. 

5.  Henry  Kephart  (1750 ),  of  Maryland,  Penn- 

sylvania, and  Iowa. 

•Foi-stemann,  Ernst.      Altdeutsches  Namesbuch.      Nordhausen,  1856. 
Vol.  1,  col.  451-452. 


14  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

6.  Daniel    Kephart    (1755?-1822),   of   New  Jersey 

and  Northumberland  County,  Pennsylvania. 

7.  Jacob    Kephart    (1765 ),    of    Pennsylvania 

(possibly    Maryland)    and    Kentucky.      Also 
four  of  his  brothers. 

8.  Caleb   Kephart    (or  Kepheart)    (1778-1833),  of 

Chester  and  Center  counties,  Pennsylvania. 

9.  John  Kephart  (1780-1847),  of  eastern  Pennsyl- 

vania and  Huntingdon   (now  Blair)   County, 
Pennsylvania. 

There  is  circumstantial  evidence  that  numbers 
2,  5,  6,  8,  and  9  of  the  above  list  were  kinsmen,  and 
that  numbers  3  and  4  were  brothers  or  first  cousins, 
but  no  legal  proof  of  such  relationship  exists. 

The  spelling  Gebhard  or  Gephart  never  occurs  in 
the  known  family  records  of  any  of  the  nine  stocks 
here  named,  with  one  possible  exception  (the  father 
of  number  5).  It  may  be  accepted  as  fettled  that 
the  Kephart  family  to  which  Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart 
belongs  has  no  American  connection  with  any  one 
who  has  used  either  of  those  spellings  within  the 
past  century. 

Nicholas  Kephart  (number  2  on  above  list)  was 
the  great-grandfather  of  Isaiah  Lafayette  Kephart. 
Letters  from  Rev.  William  Penzer,  son  of  Nicholas' 
youngest  child,  Catherine,  received  in  1888  and  in 
1895,  state  that  his  mother  told  him  that  Nicholas 
emigrated  from  Switzerland  to  America,  and  that 
he  was  aged  ninety-six  when  he  died.  Mrs.  Nancy 
Hughes,  granddaughter  of  Nicholas  Kephart,  stated, 
in    1904,   that   she   distinctlv    remembered   the   old 


Ancestry  15 

gentleman,  and  that  he  died  when  she  was  not  yet 
seven  years  old.  Mrs.  Hughes  was  born  May  4, 
1823.  From  these  data  we  may  fix  the  date  of 
Nicholas'  birth  approximately  at  the  year  1733,  and 
of  his  death  at  1829. 

The  date  of  Nicholas'  arrival  in  America  is  not 
known ;  but  it  must  have  been  prior  to  1772,  because 
not  later  than  that  date  he  married  Mary  Fry 
(Frey),  in  Macungie  Township,  which  at  that  time 
was  in  Northampton  County,  but  is  now  in  Lehigh 
County,  Pennsylvania.  According  to  family  tradi- 
tion, Nicholas  first  settled  in  Berks  County,  near 
Reading.  It  is  probable  that  he  afterwards  resided 
for  a  time  in  Northampton  County. 

In  the  year  1801,  or  possibly  earlier,  Nicholas  and 
his  son,  Henry,  Sr.,  moved  to  Center  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. About  1803,  Nicholas  cleared  a  farm  and 
built  a  house  near  Philipsburg,  in  that  part  of  Rush 
Township,  which  is  now  in  Clearfield  County. 
Among  his  neighbors  was  Abraham  Goss,  who  will 
be  mentioned  later. 

By  his  wife  Mary,  Nicholas  Kephart  had  five 
sons,  Daniel,  Abraham,  Henry  (born  about  1777, 
died  1858),  Andrew,  George;  also  four  daughters, 
Christina,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  and  Catherine  (born 
1793,  died  1883).  Of  Daniel,  Abraham,  Christina, 
Mary,  and  Elizabeth  we  have  no  records. 

Nicholas  died  in  his  own  house,  about  half  a  mile 
southeast  of  the  old  Center  Schoolhouse,  in  Clear- 
field County,  and  three  miles  from  Philipsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  buried  in  the  old  "Abram 
Goss    Cemetery,"   on   a   hill   one   mile   east  of  the 


16  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

present  town  of  Osceola.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
about  1738,  died  about  1822,  at  the  residence  of  her 
daughter  Catherine,  a  mile  south  of  Nicholas'  house, 
and  near  the  site  of  Osceola. 

It  is  said  that  Nicholas  Kephart  was  the  eldest 
of  six  brothers,  the  names  of  the  others  being  Adam, 
Jacob,  Daniel,  Caleb,  and  John.  Adam  is  known  to 
have  moved  from  Berks  to  Clearfield  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1815.  He  had  at  least  two  sons,  Jona- 
than (born  1797,  died  1885)  and  Daniel ;  also  two 
daughters,  Rachel  (born  1809,  died  1882)  and  Sarah 
(died  1852).  Adam's  grave  in  the  Goss  Cemetery 
is  annually  decorated  as  that  of  a  veteran  of  the 
Revolution.  Nothing  is  known  about  the  other 
brothers  of  Nicholas.  Some  of  them  may  or  may 
not  figure  in  the  list  of  early  American  Kephart 
stocks  previously  named.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century  there  were  many  Kepharts  bear- 
ing the  names  of  Jacob,  Daniel,  Caleb,  and  John. 

The  third  son  of  Nicholas  Kephart  was  Henry 
Kephart,  Sr.,  who  was  born  about  1777,  probably 
in  what  was  then  Northampton  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  the  grandfather  of  Isaiah  Lafayette 
Kephart.  On  September  10,  1797,  Henry  Kep- 
hart, Sr.,  married  Catherine  Smith  and  settled  at 
Center  Furnace,  Center  County,  Pennsylvania.  His 
wife  was  an  orphan,  the  daughter  of  an  English 
man  whose  wife  was  German,  thus  constituting  Henry 
Kephart,  Jr.,  three-fourths  German  and  one-fourth 
English  blood. 

The  children  of  Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  and  his  wife 
Catherine  were : 


2. 

Margaret. 

3. 

Henry,  Jr, 

4. 

5. 

Ellen. 
Andrew  S 

6. 
7. 

Mary. 
Barbara. 

Ancestry  17 

1.     David.  Born  April  7,  1800.    Married  Ann 

Hoffman.    Died  June  19,  1871. 

Married  William  Harner.  Died 
in  1833  or  1834. 

Born  January  5,  1802.  Married 
Sarah  Goss.    Died  May  5,  1886. 

Married  Daniel  Kephart. 

Born  April  10,  1807.  Married 
Rachel  Kephart.  Died  Septem- 
ber 13,  1882. 

Married  Andrew  Nearhoff. 

Born  1813.  Married  Simeon 
Crane.     Died  June  18,  1892. 

8.  George.  Born    1815.      Married   Mary   Ann 

Amy.     Died  March  25,  1865. 

9.  William.         Born     July     19,     1816.       Married 

Susannah  Goss.     Died  October 
17,  1890. 

10.  Charlotte.       Born  January  16,  1819.     Married 

John    Grain.      Died    November 
9,  1899. 

11.  Nancy  S.       Born  May  4,  1823.    Married  Rich- 

ard   Hughes.      Died    December 
21,  1904. 

12.  Stephen.         Born     1827.        Married     Rebecca 

Hoover.       Died     February     15, 
1887. 

Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  was  regis4:ered  as  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Potter  Township,  Center  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, as  early  as  1801.  In  1803,  he  removed  from 
Center  Furnace  and  settled  on  a  farm  two  and  one- 


18  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

half  miles  north  of  what  is  now  Osceola,  formerly 
Osceola  Mills,  Clearfield  County.  The  Columbia 
mine  is  on  the  old  homestead  site.  Henry's  land 
warrant  for  one  hundred  and  eight  acres  is  dated 
September  13,  1803  {Pennsylvania  Archives,  3d 
series,  vol.  35,  p.  730).  This  land  was  then  in 
Huntingdon  County,  the  county  of  Clearfield  not 
being  erected  until  March  26,  1804. 

Here,  in  a  perfect  wilderness  of  pine,  hemlock, 
oak,  chestnut,  hickory,  and  laurel,  he  erected  a  cabin 
and  commenced  to  clear  a  farm.  The  great  labor 
necessary  to  the  completion  of  such  a  task,  few 
of  modern  times  can  imagine.  The  crops  were 
meager,  mills  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  distant, 
and  no  road  but  a  mere  path  leading  across  the 
rugged  Alleghanies,  where  the  pioneer  was  obliged 
to  go  for  his  groceries  and  flour.  This  disadvantage 
was,  however,  largely  compensated  by  the  great 
abundance  of  game. 

In  this  wilderness,  Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  and  his 
wife  Catherine  opened  up  quite  a  farm  and  reared 
their  family  of  twelve  children. 

In  January,  1858,  Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  went  east 
of  the  mountains  into  Bald  Eagle  and  Sinking  Val- 
leys, to  visit  his  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Barbara. 
On  his  return,  about  the  first  of  February,  he  left 
the  stage  at  the  Sandy  Ridge  Hotel,  intending  to 
walk  home  from  there  by  way  of  Osceola,  but  was 
never  seen  or  heard  of  after  leaving  the  hotel. 
When  it  became  known  that  he  was  missing,  search 
was  instituted,  and  for  more  than  a  week  hundreds 
of  people  traversed  the  mountains  in  every  direc- 


Ancestry  19 

tion  in  search  of  his  body,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
It  is  believed  that  he  lost  his  way  in  the  mountains 
and  perished  in  the  snow.  What  was  supposed  to 
be  his  skeleton  was  found  long  afterwards. 

He  was  never  connected  with  any  church,  but  his 
wife  joined  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Cath- 
erine died  in  September,  1857,  and  left  living  eleven 
children,  ninety-five  grandchildren,  and  sixty-one 
great-grandchildren. 

Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  was  a  good-natured,  easy- 
going, jolly  Pennsylvania  German,  and  a  man  of 
considerable  influence  in  his  neighborhood.  He 
supported  his  family  by  clearing  land  and  farming, 
making  shingles  and  hauling  them  east  of  the 
mountains,  and  teaming.  Though  he  was  not  a 
regular  mechanic,  yet  he  was  naturally  ingenious, 
and  kept  a  blacksmith  shop  at  his  house,  where  he 
shod  his  own  and  his  neighbors'  horses,  sharpened 
plows,  repaired  wagons  (doing  both  the  iron  and 
wood  work),  built  iron  sleds  and  harrows.  As  a 
neighbor,  he  was  congenial  and  accommodating, 
and  was  loved  and  respected  by  all.  As  a  marks- 
man, he  was  quite  a  champion,  and  with  his  trusty 
rifle  carried  off  many  a  prize  from  the  sihooting- 
matches  of  those  rustic  times. 

Game  being  plenty,  and  he  and  his  boys  being 
expert  hunters,  the  family  was  seldom  without  meat. 
Deer,  bear,  raccoon,  and  wild  turkey  were  the 
staples  in  game  yielded  by  the  surrounding  wilder- 
ness as  table  tributes  to  the  pioneer  skilled  in  gun- 
ning. Henry  Kephart,  Jr.,  used  to  tell  that  when 
he  was  about  ten  years  old  he  went  with  his  father 


20  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

on  a  certain  fall  evening  to  "Jo^"'"  Shaw's  buckwheat 
field"  to  watch  for  deer,  and  about  sundown  the 
deer  commenced  to  arrive,  and  he  counted  till 
twenty-four  had  leaped  one  after  another  into  the 
field.  His  father  shot  one;  the  remaining  twenty- 
three  left  pell-mell  through  the  brush  in  great 
haste,  causing  the  very  ground  to  tremble,  while 
he  and  his  father  carried  their  prey  home  to  the 
family. 

In  the  little  cabin-house  that  stood  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill.  Rev.  Henry  Kephart,  the  father  of  Isaiah 
Lafayette  Kephart,  was  raised  from  childhood  to 
manbood,  having  been  born  at  Center  Furnace, 
Center  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  5,  1802. 
Here,  in  Decatur  Township,  Clearfield  County, 
Pennsylvania,  among  his  brothers  and  sisters,  wear- 
ing homespun  made  of  flax  and  wool,  spun  and 
woven  by  bis  mother's  hand,  and  eating  hominy 
cracked  on  the  hominy  block,  boiled  wheat,  pota- 
toes, buckwheat  cakes,  venison,  wild  turkey,  bear 
meat,  and  raccoon,  pumpkin,  artichokes,  beans, 
melons,  cabbage,  and  cucumbers,  maple  sugar  and 
molasses,  was  Henry  Kephart,  Jr.,  brought  up. 
While  this  pioneer  life  subjected  him  and  his  par- 
ents to  many  inconveniences  and  privations  tbat  in 
these  modern  times  would  be  considered  intolerable, 
yet  at  the  same  time  they  exempted  them  from 
many  of  the  vicious  and  demoralizing  influences 
that  are  so  prevalent  in  cities  and  towns  and  drag- 
so  many  young  people  down  to  ruin. 

The  opening  up  of  a  farm  in  this  wilderness  of 
hemlock  and  pine  springing  from  such  an  unproduc- 


Ancestry  -    21 

tive  soil,  and  the  maintaining  of  a  large  family,  was 
attended  with  no  small  amount  of  hard  toil ;  hence, 
as  soon  as  the  boys  were  old  enough  to  wield  an  ax, 
pick  brush,  and  hoe  corn,  their  assistance  was  called 
into  requisition  and  their  time  from  that  on,  during  the 
spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  was  spent  in  hard  work. 
While  this  may  have  been  considered  a  hardship,  it 
nevertheless  was  not  without  its  benefits.  Their  time 
being  spent  in  this  way,  they  were  saved  from  the 
demoralization  to  which  many  young  people,  from 
want  of  employment,  are  constantly  exposed. 

During  the  winter-time,  however,  the  boys  had 
but  little  to  do  save  chop  wood  for  the  fire  and  feed 
the  few  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs ;  hence  this  was  to 
them  a  time  of  general  recreation.  There  being  no 
schools  for  them  to  attend,  they  spent  their  time 
mostly  in  hunting,  cracking  and  eating  hickory- 
nuts,  chestnuts,  and  butternuts  which  they  had 
gathered  in  the  fall,  and  with  shooting  with  bow 
and  arrow.  Shooting  at  mark  with  "daddy's  rifle" 
would  have  been  their  favorite  sport;  ammunition 
was  too  scarce  and  expensive,  however,  for  them  to 
indulge  in  this  propensity.  It  often  happened  that 
deer  would  come  within  a  few  yards  of  the  cabin  in 
mid-day,  and  the  family  would  watch  them  through 
the  windows  for  hours,  and  not  be  able  to  shoot 
one  of  them  simply  for  want  of  ammunition,  and 
that  sometimes  when  there  was  not  a  pound  of  meat 
in  the  house.  Next  to  the  difficulty  of  keeping  a 
supply  of  ammunition  on  hand  was  the  difficulty  of 
supplying  the  family  with  salt.     It  was  often  the 


22  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

case  that  for  weeks  and  weeks  there  was  not  a 
pound  of  this  important  article  in  the  cabin. 

If  the  winter  was  an  open  one,  the  boys  spent 
most  of  the  time  in  "chopping  a  clearing."  This 
consisted  of  clearing  away  all  the  logs,  underbrush,, 
saplings,  and  small  trees,  girdling  the  large  pine,, 
oak,  and  chestnut-trees,  and  trimming  the  large 
hemlocks.  This  latter  feat  was  accomplished  in 
the  following  manner :  One  of  the  boys  would  strap 
a  small  ax  to  his  back  and  clamber  to  the  very  top 
of  the  tree,  sometimes  to  the  height  of  sixty,  sev- 
enty, or  even  eighty  feet,  and  commencing  at  the 
top,  would  clip  off  all  the  limbs  to  the  root,  and  thus, 
leave  the  naked  trunk  stand. 

In  the  above  manner,  Henry  Kephart,  Jr.,  spent 
his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  until  he  entered  his 
twenty-fifth  year.  Then,  on  the  23d  of  March,^ 
1826,  he  was  married  by  Abel  Benton,  Esq.,  to  ]\Iiss 
Sarah  Goss,  daughter  of  Abraham  Goss. 

Mr.  Goss  was  the  son  of  George  Goss,  a  native 
of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  America  about  the 
year  1755  and  settled  in  the  Wyoming  Valley,  where 
he  resided  with  his  wife,  to  whom  were  born  three 
sons,  George,  Jacob,  and  Abraham.  At  the  time  of 
the  celebrated  Wyoming  massacre,  Abraham  was 
fourteen  years  old.  His  two  older  brothers  were 
killed  in  the  massacre.  He  and  his  father  and 
mother  barely  escaped  by  secreting  themselves  in 
the  laurel.  Immediately  after  this,  the  father  and 
son  enlisted  in  General  Washington's  army,  and 
the  wife  and  mother  attached  herself  to  the  same 
army  as  hospital  nurse  and  cook.     In  this  capacity 


Ancestry  23 

they  served  (Abraham  as  a  drummer  boy  in  Cobea's 
Company,  Second  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  Conti- 
nental Line)  until  toward  the  close  of  the  war,  when 
the  husband  and  father  was  killed  in  battle.  The 
mother  then  repaired  to  General  Washington's 
headquarters  in  person,  and  kneeling  before  him, 
besought  him  to  release  her  only  boy  from  further 
service,  piteously  telling  him  that  she  had  given  up 
two  sons  in  the  massacre  at  Wyoming  and  her  hus- 
band in  battle.  The  humane  general,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  granted  her  petition,  and  she  and  her  son, 
ragged  and  penniless,  started  out  to  seek  a  living 
for  themselves.  Many  were  the  hardships  they 
endured.  They  journeyed  on,  working  by  spells 
wherever  they  could  find  work,  until  they  finally 
settled  near  the  present  site  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Here,  in  the  process  of  time,  Abraham  Goss  married 
Elizabeth  Eimenheizer,  who  was  in  blood  half  German 
and  half  Irish.  Goss  was  in  blood  full  German.  Soon 
after  marrying,  he,  with  his  wife  and  mother,  moved 
west  of  the  Alleghanies  and  settled  three  miles  south- 
west of  the  present  site  of  Phillipsburg,  one  mile  north- 
west of  the  present  site  of  Osceola  and  one  and  a  half 
miles  northeast  of  where  Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  re- 
sided. Here  he  opened  up  a  large  farm  and  raised  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  named  as  follows :  George, 
Mary,  Jacob,  John,  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  Sarah,  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  David,  Siizanna,  Joseph,  and  Solomon. 
The  last,  however,  died  in  his  infancy,  and  the  mother 
and  wife  died  when  he  was  born.  The  father  married 
a  second  time. 


24  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Abraham  Goss  was  much  more  than  an  ordinary 
man.  He  was  progressive  and  enterprising,  a  leader 
in  his  neighborhood  in  all  matters  of  improvement. 
He  raised  his  family  quite  respectably  and  started  his 
boys  on  farms  or,  rather,  wild  land  of  their  own.  He 
was  a  religious,  conscientious  man,  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  died  in  April,  1849,  in 
the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

After  the  Revolutionary  War,  when  the  United 
States  Government  was  firmly  established  and  com- 
menced to  pay  pensions  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, Abraham  Goss  found  considerable  difficulty  in 
establishing  his  claim  to  such  a  pension.  He  made 
several  attempts,  spending  time  and  money,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  Finally  he  dreamed  one  night  that  if  he 
would  go  to  Penn's  Valley,  east  of  the  mountains,  at  a 
certain  place  he  would  find  living  one  of  his  old  com- 
rades in  the  army,  a  former  member  of  the  Company 
in  which  he  served  as  drummer  boy,  who  would  be 
glad  to  identify  him,  and  by  his  testimony  secure  for 
him  his  pension.  Though  this  was  only  a  dream,  the 
impression  was  so  forcible  upon  his  mind  that  he  re- 
solved to  go.  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  never- 
theless true  that  he  found  the  man  precisely  according 
to  his  dream,  and  through  his  testimony  secured  his 
pension  and  drew  it  regularly  until  he  died. 

Sarah  Goss,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth 
Goss,  was  born  at  the  "Old  Goss  Homestead"  in  De- 
catur Township,  Clearfield  County,  Pennsylvania,  J"ly 
6,  1808.  During  her  girlhood  she  spent  much  of  her 
time  in  working  on  the  farm,  picking  brush,  cutting- 
sprouts,  and  making  hay  and  helping  in  the  harvest 


Rev.  Henry  and  Sarah  Kephart,  Parents  of  Dr.  T.  L.  Kepharl 


Ancestry  25 

field.  She  never  went  to  school  but  two  months,  and 
to  do  that  she  was  obliged  to  walk  to  Phillipsburg  and 
back  morning  and  evening,  a  distance  of  three  miles, 
and  that,  too,  in  the  winter  time.  During  these  two 
months  she  learned  to  spell  and  read  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, She  also  learned  to  spin  wool  and  flax  and  to 
weave  on  the  loom,  at  which  trade,  during  her  married 
life,  she  earned  many  a  dollar  and  thus  aided  in  feeding 
and  clothing  her  children  and  in  paying  for  the  home- 
stead. 

She  never  learned  to  write  until  she  was  in  her  fifty- 
second  year ;  then,  having  moved  to  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania,  she  became  anxious  to  write  letters  to 
their  old  neighbors,  and  she  had  her  youngest  daughter 
set  her  copies  and  give  her  instruction  in  writing,  and 
she  was  so  persistent  that  in  a  remarkably  short  time 
she  could  write  quite  a  legible  hand. 

When  in  her  twelfth  year,  one  day  she  and  her 
brother  Abraham  were  engaged  in  cutting  sprouts  in 
the  field,  and,  coming  to  a  large  stump,  they  halted  to 
take  a  rest.  She  placed  her  right  hand  upon  the  stump 
just  as  her  brother  brought  the  ax-bit  of  his  mattock 
down  upon  it  and  cut  the  index  finger  of  her  right 
hand  off  at  the  joint. 

As  stated  before,  Henry  Kephart,  Jr.,  and  Sarah 
Goss  were  married  March  23,  1826.  During  the  first 
year  of  their  married  life  they  lived  in  one  room  of  her 
father's  house,  and  her  husband  worked  for  his  father- 
in-law  during  the  summer  and  fall,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing winter  he  chopped  and  ranked  one  hundred 
cords  of  wood  in  thirty-three  days,  and  each  day 
walked  two  miles  to,  and  two  miles  from  his  work. 


26  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

In  the  spring  of  1827  they  removed  to  a  place  one 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  where  Henry  Kephart,  Sr., 
lived.  Here  a  William  Harner,  who  had  married  Mar- 
garet Kephart,  daughter  of  Henry  Kephart,  Sr.,  had 
some  years  previous  cleared  several  acres  and  erected 
a  story-and-a-half  cabin.  This  improvement  Henry 
and  Sarah  Kephart  purchased  of  Harner  for  fifty 
dollars,  and  assumed  the  article  of  agreement  into 
which  Harner  -had  entered  with  Hardman  Phillips, 
founder  of  the  town  of  Phillipsburg  and  owner  of  this 
land,  which  bound  him  to  pay  to  the  said  Hardman 
Phillips  the  sum  of  $300  for  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  with  interest  at  6  per  cent,  from  date  of  the 
agreement  until  paid.  Their  diflficulty  in  paying  this 
small  amount  may  be  imagined  when  it  is  stated  that 
before  the  entire  debt  was  canceled  and  the  deed  for 
one  hundred  acres  secured,  they  had  paid  to  Mr.  Phil- 
lips, in  principal  and  interest,  nearly  $700. 

Their  home  was  by  no  means  a  pretentious  one — a 
log  cabin,  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  in  size,  floored  with 
puncheon  or  slabs  split  out  of  pine  or  chestnut  logs, 
and  covered  with  clapboards.  These  clapboards  were 
made  three  feet  in  length,  about  six- inches  wide  and 
one-half  inch  thick,  split  out  of  pine  timber,  and  were 
held  in  place  by  what  were  called  "weight  poles,"  cut 
nails  being  too  dear  to  buy.  The  joists  were  pine  poles 
from  which  the  bark  was  peeled.  On  these  were  placed 
clapboards,  forming  the  upper  floor.  This  constituted 
the  "upstairs"  or  loft.  The  chinks  between  the  logs 
that  formed  the  walls  of  the  cabin  were  filled  first  with 
small  chunks  of  wood  and  chips  and  then  "daubed" 
with  a  mortar  made  of  the  native  clay. 


Ancestry  27 

In  one  corner  of  the  cabin  stood  the  "corner  chim- 
ney," constructed  of  undressed  stone  and  clay  mortar, 
and  large  enough  to  take  in  logs  of  wood  a  foot  in 
diameter  and  five  feet  long.  This  chimney  or  fireplace 
served  both  for  cooking  and  for  heating  purposes. 
Over  it,  by  the  use  of  a  few  links  of  a  large  chain  and 
a  rough  iron  hook,  was  hung  the  "dinner  pot,"  in 
which  were  cooked  the  meat,  hominy,  corn  meal,  pota- 
toes, or  mush,  as  might  be  desired.  There  was  also  a 
frying-pan  for  use  in  cooking  and  a  Dutch  oven  for 
baking  bread.  These  cooking  utensils,  with  a  few 
plain  dishes,  constituted  the  entire  culinary  outfit  in  the 
early  cabin  home. 

The  lower  floor  was  all  in  one  room ;  the  ceiling  was 
low  and  it  was  lighted  by  two  windows,  each  consisting 
of  six  panes  of  glass,  each  pane  eight  by  ten  inches  in 
size.  At  night  the  house  was  lighted  by  a  tallow 
candle,  oil  lamps  being  a  later  invention. 

The  upstairs  was  reached  by  an  ordinary  ladder, 
where,  as  the  family  increased,  additional  beds  were 
placed  for  their  accommodation. 

Here,  in  this  little  log  cabin,  in  April,  1827,  Henry 
and  Sarah  Kephart  set  up  housekeeping  for  them- 
selves. The  surrounding  country  was  largely  a  wilder- 
ness of  timber,  Jacob  Baughman,  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
distant,  being  the  nearest  neighbor.  In  this  small  room 
they  managed  to  have,  in  after  years,  two  beds  and  a 
trundle-bed  for  the  smaller  children,  a  ten-plate  stove, 
corner  chimney  or  fireplace,  table,  a  few  home-made 
chairs,  a  weaver's  loom  (a  gift  of  the  wife's  father), 
on  which  the  wife  and  mother  wove  many  hundreds  of 
yards  of  homespun — and  all  this  on  the  first  floor. 


28  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

There  was  a  porch  to  the  cabin  on  which  father 
Kephart  at  one  time  made  marks  to  indicate  the  length, 
from  tip  to  tip,  of  a  panther  that  he  caught  in  a  bear 
pen  about  the  year  1831.  It  measured,  when  stretched 
out,  eleven  and  one-half  feet  from  the  point  of  its  nose 
to  the  end  of  its  tail. 

Their  entire  stock  of  household  goods  consisted  of 
enough  homespun  bedding  to  fit  up  two  beds,  one 
home-made  bedstead,  a  frying-pan,  a  Dutch  oven,  an 
old  cracked  but  mended  teakettle,  a  cast-iron  dinner- 
pot,  a  spinning-wheel,  an  ax,  and  the  trusty  rifle. 
Their  live  stock  consisted  of  two  hens  and  a  rooster,  a 
three-year-old  heifer,  then  giving  milk,  and  two  three- 
year-old  steers  (borrowed),  of  which  they  were  to 
have  the  use  for  three  years  as  compensation  for  train- 
ing them  to  work.  These  steers  constituted  their  team. 
They  bought  a  shovel  plowshare.  The  husband  made 
the  woodwork  of  the  plow,  and  made  a  harrow  with 
wooden  teeth,  and  so  they  commenced  to  open  up  a 
farm. 

As  it  regarded  money  and  book  learning,  they  were 
intensely  poor ;  but  as  it  regarded  brave,  loving  hearts, 
strong,  vigorous  bodies,  native  genius,  pioneer  expe- 
rience, and  moral  purity,  they  were  millionaires. 

While  poor,  they  were  industrious,  and  not  only  pro- 
duced nearly  all  that  was  necessary  for  supplying  the 
table,  but  also  for  the  clothing  of  the  family.  The  table 
supplies  in  those  days  were,  while  abundant,  yet  primi- 
tive, consisting  chiefly  of  boiled  wheat,  beans,  hominy, 
potatoes,  venison,  bear  meat,  wild  turkey,  etc.  Wild 
game  was  abimdant.  There  were  panthers,  wolves, 
foxes,  wild  cats,  bears,  deer,  wild  turkeys,  grouse,  and 


Ancestry  29 

the  various  kinds  of  fowl  incident  to  a  new  country. 
Bear,  deer,  and  fowl  furnished  largely  the  supply  of 
meat,  which  was  both  abundant  and  palatable,  dried  or 
jerked  venison  being  quite  a  luxury. 

The  clothing  was  very  largely  produced  and  manu- 
factured on  the  farm  and  in  the  home.  Such  articles 
as  muslin,  calico,  and  woolen  goods  were  scarcely  in 
the  market,  or,  if  so,  too  dear  to  buy ;  consequently 
home  manufacture  was  a  necessity.  For  this  purpose 
the  loom  and  the  spinning-wheel  were  in  almost  daily 
use,  spinning  wool  and  flax  and  weaving  the  cloth 
from  which  was  manufactured  nearly  all  of  the  cloth- 
ing that  the  family  required. 

A  few  sheep  were  kept,  from  which  there  was 
secured  the  necessary  amount  of  wool.  A  small  piece 
of  ground  was  each  year  sown  in  flax,  and  this  was 
pulled,  threshed,  broken,  scutched,  hackled,  spun,  and 
woven  into  linsey-woolsey,  and  dyed  according  to 
taste,  by  means  of  indigo,  madder,  and  walnut  bark. 

The  mother  of  Doctor  Kephart  was  one  of  the  skill- 
ful weavers  in  the  community  in  which  she  lived,  and 
day  after  day,  in  addition  to  caring  for  the  family,  she 
threw  the  shuttle  and  swung  the  lathe  of  the  corner 
loom.  Doctor  Kephart  used  to  take  pleasure  in  recit- 
ing the  fact  that  the  first  piece  of  money  he  ever  had 
that  he  could  call  his  own  was  a  silver  ten-cent  piece 
that  his  mother  gave  him  as  a  special  reward  for  serv- 
ice in  "winding  the  quills"  for  her  through  the  entire 
long  winter,  one  of  her  patrons  having  paid  for  his 
web  of  clothing  in  money,  a  very  unusual  thing  then. 

During  the  fall  of  1825  they  had  both  embraced  re- 
ligion and  joined  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 


30  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

in  Christ;  hence  the  family  altar  was  immediately 
erected  in  their  little  log  cabin,  and  all  through  their 
long  years  of  toil,  care,  and  anxiety  the  fire  on  that 
altar  was  kept  constantly  burning  till  their  death. 

They  frequently  had  prayer-meetings  and  preaching 
in  this  same  cabin.  As  early  as  1830  the  itinerant 
preachers  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  visited  them 
and  established  regular  preaching  in  their  cabin  once 
every  four  weeks.  The  neighbors  (six  or  eight  fam- 
ilies) would  gather  in  of  a  week-day  evening  for 
preaching.  They  would  bring  with  them  long  pieces 
of  "pitch-pine"  wood,  split  fine,  and,  after  meeting  was 
over,  would  light  their  fagots  and  proceed  home.  In 
the  cabin  they  would  sit  around  on  the  few  chairs  and 
benches,  and  the  children  would  sit  on  the  loom. 

Soon  after  Henry  Kephart,  Jr.,  joined  the  Church, 
he  was  made  class-leader  and  then  exhorter.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  Bishop  William  Brown  at  Green- 
castle,  Pennsylvania,  in  1834,  and  was  ordained  by 
Bishop  Samuel  Heistand  at  Shopp's  Church,  Cumber- 
land County,  in  1837.  Although  he  never  traveled  a 
circuit  or  had  charge  of  a  field  of  labor  except  one 
year,  yet  he  preached  a  great  deal,  attended  many 
quarterly  and  protracted  meetings,  and  greatly  aided 
in  conducting  revivals.  As  a  preacher,  although  he 
was  no  scholar  in  the  ordinary  sense,  his  perfect 
familiarity  with  the  Scriptures  enabled  him  to  talk  with 
great  clearness  and  force,  always  illustrating  his  ideas 
with  copious  quotations  from  the  sacred  page.  In 
quoting  from  the  Scriptures,  he  would  always  give  the 
book,  chapter,  and  verse,  and  the  exact  language,  and 
was  so  expert  at  this  that  the  members  of  his  confer- 


Ancestry 


31 


ence  dubbed  him  the  "Allegheny  Conference  Concord- 
ance." So  thorough  was  his  acquaintance  with  the 
Scriptures  and  so  very  reliable  his  memory,  that  if  the 
language  of  any  portion  of  scripture  was  repeated  to 
him,  he  could  almost  invariably  and  instantly  name  the 
book,  chapter,  and  verse  in  which  the  language  was 
recorded. 

He  moved  to  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
April,  1859,  and  to  Shueyville,  Iowa,  in  April,  1871. 
He  died  at  Shueyville,  Iowa,  May  5,  1886.  His  wife 
died  October  30,  1887. 

To  Henry  and  Sarah  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: 

1.  Elizabeth.  Born  December  24,  1826.  Died 

September  6,  1830. 

2.  Barbara.  Born  October  24,  1828.    Mar- 

ried Daniel  Albert. 

3.  Mary.  Born  February  12,  1831.  Mar- 

ried Abraham  Crowell.  Died 
March  14.  1905. 

4.  Isaiah  Lafayette.     Born  December  10,  1832.  Mar- 

ried Mary  Elizabeth  Sowers. 
Died  October  28,  1908. 

5.  Ezekiel  Boring.       Born  November  6,  1834.  Mar- 

ried Susan  J.  Trefts.     Died 
January  24,  1906. 

6.  Abraham  Goss.        Born   April    18,    1836.      Died 

December  20,  1860. 

7.  Susannah  A.  Born  June  7,  1838.     Married 

George     W.     Kline.      Died 
April  2,  1898. 


32 


Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 


8,     Isabella  Jane. 


9.     William  Snyder. 


10.     John  Henry. 


11.     Sarah  Ann. 


12.     Hiram. 


13.     Cyrus  Jeffries. 


Born  April  24,  1840.  Married 
Lorenzo  A.  Jeffries.  Died 
April  14,  1907. 

Born  March  9,  1842.  Killed 
ill  battle  near  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  Va.,  May  8, 
1864. 

Born  July  7,  1844.  Married 
Clara  Chatley. 

Born  January  14,  1847.  Mar- 
ried James  H.  McClintock. 
Died  April  25,  1895. 

Born  January  18,  1849.  Died 
November  14,  1851. 

Born  February  23,  1852.  Mar- 
ried Sarah  Scott  Perry. 


BOYHOOD  DAYS 


Facing  the  Future 


Pausing  here  and  looking  calmly,  yet  humbly,  for  that  close 
of  my  mortal  career  which  I  am  sure  cannot  be  very  far 
distant,  I  reverently  thank  God  for  the  many  blessings  he  has 
vouchsafed  me  in  the  past;  and  with  an  awe  that  is  not  fear, 
and  a  consciousness  of  demerit  which,  though  great,  is  offset 
by  a  well-founded  trust  in  the  merit  of  Jesus  Christ,  my 
Lord  and  Savior,  I  await  with  devout  composure,  and  even 
joy,  the  opening  of  the  schoolhouse  door,  out  through  which 
I  shall  then  pass  into  a  higher,  nobler,  more  active,  and  more 
appreciative  and  joyful  state  of  being,  "zvashcd  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,"  in  his  blessed  name. 

I.  L.  Kephart. 

Aged  74  years,  1  month,  and  9  days. 


II. 

BOYHOOD  DAYS 


Rev.  Isaiah  Lafayette  Kephart  may  very  prop- 
erly be  pronounced  a  product  of  the  pioneer  days 
in  central  Pennsylvania. 

As  stated  in  the  preceding  chapter,  his  parents, 
Henry  and  Sarah  Kephart,  commenced  in  the  spring 
of  1827  to  clear  out  a  farm  and  earn  a  living  for 
themselves  and  family  by  tilling  the  soil.  Under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  this  is  no  easy 
task ;  much  less  is  it  so^  when  it  is  undertaken,  as  it 
was  in  this  case,  near  the  top  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  where  the  timber  was  heavy  and  the 
soil  exceedingly  thin.  This  rendered  their  efforts 
much  more  laborious  and  their  labor  much  less 
productive.  It  was  often  necessary  for  the  good 
wife  to  leave  her  housework,  go  out  into  the  clear- 
ing, and  assist  in  rolling  up  logs  into  piles  to  be 
burned,  and  in  picking  and  burning  brush.  Hard 
work  on  the  farm  during  the  summer,  and  during 
the  winter  the  threshing  out  of  his  grain  with  the 
flail  and  carrying  it  to  the  mill  and  market,  occupied 
the  time  of  the  father.  During  the  winter  the 
mother  was  occupied  in  spinning  wool  and  flax,  and 
weaving  it  into  clothing. 

The  difficulties  and  disadvantages  under  which 
these  early  settlers  labored  will  be  appreciated  more 


36  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

fully  when  it  is  remembered  that  even  the  ordinary 
lucifer  match  of  the  present  day  was  then  wholly 
unknown,  and  the  matter  of  starting  a  fire  was  one 
of  great  importance. 

During  the  winter,  when  large  quantities  of  hard 
wood  were  burned  in  the  fireplace,  fire  was 
easily  kept  by  covering  it  with  plenty  of  ashes 
before  retiring  for  the  night,  or  at  other  times. 
During  the  summer  and  early  fall  and  the  later 
spring,  when  so  much  fire  was  not  desired,  the 
mountaineer  would  frequently  wake  up  in  the  morn- 
ing to  find  that  his  fire  had  gone  out.  Sometimes 
the  difficulty  would  be  met  by  going  to  a  near 
neighbor  and  getting  a  ''chunk  of  fire."  When  that 
was  impracticable,  as  Doctor  Kephart  describes, 
"they  would  fall  back  on  their  own  resources,  which 
consisted  of  a  flint,  a  pocket-knife  or  a  bit  of  steel 
used  in  striking  fire  out  of  the  flint,  and  a  bit  of  dry 
touch-wood — that  is,  a  bit  of  soft,  decayed  wood, 
such  as  is  found  in  the  large  knots  of  maple  logs. 
The  flint  would  then  be  taken  between  the  finger 
and  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  with  the  touch-wood 
placed  under  it,  so  that  its  front  edge  would  be 
about  even  with  the  front  edge  of  the  flint,  the  two 
held  firmly,  and  with  the  steel  or  the  back  of  the 
large  blade  of  his  jack-knife,  the  knife  being  closed, 
the  mountaineer  would  strike  the  flint  till  a  spark 
thus  produced  would  ignite  the  touch-wood.  To 
this  a  handful  of  dead  coals  would  be  applied,  which, 
by  means  of  blowing  with  breath  from  the  mouth, 
would  soon  be  ignited,  and  thus  a  fire  would  be 
produced. 


Boyhood  Days  Z7 

"If,  however,  there  were  no  touch- wood  in  the 
cabin,  resort  was  had  to  the  ever-present  'powder- 
horn.'  P'rom  this  an  ordinary  rifle-charge  of  powder 
was  poured  on  a  smooth  spot  on  the  hearth,  and 
near  it  was  placed  a  bunch  of  skutching  tow — the 
rougher  combings  of  flax — or  a  bunch  of  old  cotton 
or  linen  rags,  and  then  taking  the  flint  in  one  hand 
and  the  steel  or  knife  in  the  other,  the  denizen  of 
the  cabin  would  hold  his  hand  near  the  powder  and 
strike  and  strike  until  a  large  spark  would  drop  into  the 
powder,  ignite  it,  and  the  flash  produced  would  ignite 
the  tow  or  rags.  If  the  fire  in  the  tow  or  rags  was 
very  faint,  the  performer  would  quickly  pour  a  little 
powder  from  the  horn  into  his  hand  and  throw  it 
upon  the  lingering  spark.  This  would  produce  an 
additional  flash  and  more  thoroughly  ignite  the  tow 
or  rags. 

"In  one  such  case,  a  man  by  the  name  of  John 
Low,  instead  of  first  pouring  the  powder  into  his 
hand,  poured  it  direct  from  the  horn  upon  the  fire. 
The  result  was  the  fire  followed  the  stream  of 
powder  into  the  horn,  burst  it,  flashed  the  flame 
into  his  face,  singed  nearly  all  the  hair  ofif  his  head, 
and  burned  him  severely  about  the  face  and  neck." 

Life  in  those  pioneer  days  was  by  no  means 
without  danger.  Wild  animals  frequently  infested 
the  paths  and  roads  through  the  woods  and  ren- 
dered journeys  by  day  or  night  quite  unsafe.  It 
is  related  that  at  one  time,  George  Goss,  an  uncle 
of  Doctor  Kephart,  came  very  near  having  an 
encounter  with  a  panther.  "He  was  returning  home 
one  Saturday  night  about  midnight,  from  a  visit  to 


38  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

his  sweetheart,  and  his  way  led  through  two  miles 
of  a  dense  hemlock  and  pine  forest.  It  was  quite 
dark,  and  he  had  neither  lantern  nor  torch.  Soon 
he  saw  in  the  darkness  the  eyes  of  a  large  panther 
approaching  him.  In  a  cat-like  manner  it  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  he  closely  eying  it  all  the  time 
until  it  was  within  fifteen  feet  of  him,  when  it 
stopped,  lay  quietly  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  rested  its  jaws  upon  its  paw^s,  kept  its  eyes 
fixed  upon  his,  and  for  some  time  lashed  the  ground 
with  its  tail.  There  it  lay  and  there  he  stood,  each 
eying  the  other  closely  until  day  had  fairly  dawned, 
when  it  leaped  away  in  the  laurel,  uttered  two  or  three 
screams,  and  its  prisoner,  with  light  feet,  and  a  lighter 
heart,  skipped  home." 

Doctor  Kephart's  story  of  "Josey  Earls  and  the 
Cubs"  gives  quite  a  picturesque  view  of  dangers 
met  with  in  those  early  times.  Josey  Earls  was 
quite  a  Nimrod  in  those  days.  He  was  a  man  of 
about  five  feet,  five  inches,  weighing  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  His  dress  was  a  pair 
of  buckskin  knee-breeches,  buckskin  leggins,  shoes, 
a  buckskin  tight  jacket,  and  a  large  coonskin  cap. 
Thus  dressed,  with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  and 
his  trusty  rifle  on  his  s'houlder,  he  would  quite 
readily  have  passed  for  a  Daniel  Boone  or  Davy 
Crockett,  but  for  his  diminutive  stature. 

At  a  certain  time,  he  started  out  determined  to 
capture  some  young  bear  cubs,  his  purpose  being 
both  a  little  fun  and  the  profit  from  their  sale.  The 
description  follows : 

"His  plan  was  perfected,  and  after  an  early  break- 


Boyhood  Days  39 

fast  of  corn  bread  and  broiled  venison,  with  his 
trusty  rifle  on  his  shoulder  (dogs  he  never  kept),  he 
set  out  in  quest  of  young  cubs.  Leisurely  he 
strolled  over  hills,  across  ravines,  through  laurel 
thickets,  until  the  sun  was  rapidly  sinking  in  the 
west,  when  he  resolved  to  return  to  his  cabin  and 
hope  for  better  luck  another  day.  His  steps  being 
now  quickened  by  hunger  and  a  desire  to  reach 
camp  before  night  set  in,  he  was  pursuing  his  way 
through  a  deep  ravine,  which  was  completely  roofed 
over  with  pine  and  hemlock  boughs,  and  across 
which  lay  the  prostrate  trunk  of  a  huge  pine-tree. 
Having  climbed  upon  this,  he  was  walking  on  it 
to  avoid  the  laurel  thicket,  and  by  chance  he  cast 
a  glance  down  to  the  side  of  the  log,  when  there, 
among  the  leaves  and  underbrush,  in  a  huge  nest, 
he  espied,  to  'his  great  delight,  a  fine  pair  of  cubs, 
not  more  than  eight  or  ten  days  old.  The  experi- 
enced hunter  knew  that  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost.  It  was  one  thing  to  find  so  rare  a  prize,  and 
quite  another  thing  to  secure  it.  If  nothing  inter- 
fered, it  would  be  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
convey  the  young  prowlers  of  the  forest  to  his 
cabin,  which  was  not  more  than  a  mile  distant ;  but 
if  Madam  Bruin  put  in  an  appearance,  she  would 
be  very  apt  to  object  to  the  removal  of  her  progeny 
in  a  manner  calculated  to  make  things  both  warm 
and  lively  for  the  hunter. 

"In  much  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  he 
leaped  down  to  the  edge  of  the  nest,  grasped  the 
cubs,  thrust  them  into  his  large  shot  pouch, 
scrambled  to  the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  and  made 


40  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

off  in  the  direction  of  his  cabin  as  swiftly  as  pos- 
sible, ever  keeping  a  'sharp  lookout  behind.'  But 
he  had  not  proceeded  twenty-five  rods  when  the 
crackling  of  the  brush  warned  him  of  Bruin's  being 
in  close  pursuit  with  all  the  fury  of  a  'bear  robbed 
of  her  whelps.'  He  could  easily  have  freed  himself 
of  all  danger  by  dropping  the  cubs,  but  that  did  not 
suit  his  purpose.  Quickly  he  took  his  stand  behind 
a  huge  hemlock-tree,  lowered  his  rifle  in  position, 
and  when  the  bear,  on  a  full  run,  was  within  ten 
steps,  he  fired.  But  alas  for  his  chances  !  In  his 
haste  and  excitement  his  aim  was  not  as  sure  as  it 
was  wont  to  be,  and  the  ball,  while  it  did  not  dis- 
able the  brute,  took  sufficient  effect  to  thoroughly 
arouse  all  her  latent  fury.  On  she  rushed  like  an 
avalanche,  uttering  the  most  terrific  growls ;  and 
dropping  his  rifle,  the  hunter  grasped  his  knife, 
and  the  monstrous,  infuriated  brute  and  the  lithe 
little  old  disciple  of  Nimrod  closed  in  a  life-and- 
death  struggle.  The  mere  momentum  of  the  bear 
was  so  great  that  she  at  once  bore  the  hunter  to  the 
ground ;  but  fortunately  he  held  on  to  the  knife 
and  retained  sufficient  presence  of  mind  in  this 
trying  ordeal  to  use  it  with  efficiency.  For  as  much 
as  five  minutes  (it  seemed  an  age  to  Earls)  they 
rolled  and  tumbled  over  each  other,  the  hunter  as 
often  as  possible  making  thrusts  at  rhe  bear  with 
such  telling  effect  as  to  cause  the  blood  to  flow 
freely. 

"At  last,  when  his  breath  and  his  strength  were 
rapidly  failing,  and  Bruin,  having  flung  him  to  the 
ground  apparently  for  the  last  time,  was  standing 


Dr.  Kephart  07i  his  First  Circuit,  and 
while  the  Pastor  at  Humtnelstoivfi,  Pa. 


Schoolhouse  in  Pennsylvania  where  Dr.  Kephart  Attended. 

(As  it  appears  here,  used  as  a   residence.) 


Chaplain  and  Mrs.  I.  L.  Kephart, 

{Taken  during  the   II 'ur.) 


Boyhood  Days  41 

over  him  attempting  to  get  hold  of  his  breast  with 
her  monstrous  teeth,  the  hunter,  mustering  all  his 
strength,  sent  the  trusty  knife  upward  and  forward 
through  the  chest  of  the  bear  and  pierced  her  heart, 
and  with  a  hideous  growl  she  rolled  off  him  dead. 
For  as  much  as  ten  minutes  he  could  do  nothing  but 
lie  still  and  pant  for  breath.  Having  regained 
strength,  he  gathered  himself  up,  viewed  for  a 
moment  the  dead  body  of  his  monster  antagonist, 
examined  his  shot  pouch  to  find  that  the  cubs  were 
still  safe,  and  then,  limp  and  bleeding,  he  set  out  for 
his  cabin,  where  he  arrived  just  as  twilight  set  in." 

Speaking  of  his  own  experience.  Doctor  Kephart 
says: 

"The  writer  distinctly  remembers  the  awful  dread 
he  and  his  two  elder  sisters  had  of  bears,  that  fear 
being  the  result  of  the  dreadful  bear  stories  often  told 
in  their  presence.  One  Sunday  afternoon,  when  he 
was  in  his  fourth  year,  bears  being  numerous  that 
summer,  two  dogs  ran  one  of  the  black  animals  into 
the  field  near  his  parents'  cabin,  and  treed  it  on  a  large 
oak-tree.  It  climbed  to  the  first  large  limb,  and,  poising 
itself  thereon,  looked  down  defiantly  at  the  dogs.  The 
writer's  father  grasped  his  rifle,  ran  sufficiently  near, 
took  deadly  aim,  the  rifle  "spoke,"  and  Bruin  tumbled 
from  the  tree,  mother  and  we  children  eagerly  watch- 
ing the  entire  performance.  The  skin  was  taken  from 
the  carcass  and  hung  in  the  barn  to  dry ;  but  such  was 
the  dread  of  us  children  for  bears  that  we  could  not  be 
induced  to  go  to  the  barn  while  the  bear's  skin  hung 
there. 

"Later  in   the   fall  of  the   same  year,   father  and 


42  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

mother  sat  one  Sunday  afternoon  on  the  porch,  the 
former  reading  the  Bible  and  we  children  playing 
around.  Suddenly  there  came  from  the  adjacent  for- 
est the  piercing  squeal  of  a  hog.  Father  listened  a 
moment  and  exclaimed,  'A  bear  has  that  hog!'  With 
that  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  ran  into  the  cabin,  grasped 
his  rifle,  ran  across  the  meadow,  and  soon  disappeared 
in  the  timber.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  from  the  time 
he  started  we  heard  the  report  of  the  rifle,  and  the 
bear  was  killed.  The  hog,  which  belonged  to  our 
nearest  neighbor,  Jacob  Baughman,  was  so  badly 
crippled  that  it  had  to  be  killed  also." 

The  first  team  that  Henry  and  Sarah  Kephart  used 
was  a  borrowed  yoke  of  three-year-old  steers.  To 
train  them  so  as  to  render  them  tractable  was  no  small 
task,  and  "many  an  hour,"  says  Doctor  Kephart,  "did 
mother  walk  by  their  heads  and  lead  them  while  father 
held  the  shovel-plow  that  they  drew."  These  steers 
they  had  the  use  of  for  three  years  for  training  them 
to  work,  and  at  the  end  of  this  time  they  returned 
them  to  their  owner,  then  a  yoke  of  well-trained  cattle. 
For  a  team  they  now  had  a  pair  of  three-year-old 
steers  of  their  own  partially  trained.  This  constituted 
their  team  for  about  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  they  purchased  a  bald-faced  mare  called  "Fly." 
By  herself  she  worked  well,  but  when  harnessed  with 
another  she  would  sometimes  become  balky. 

On  the  24th  day  of  December,  1826,  their  first  child, 
Elizabeth,  was  born.  She  died  on  the  sixth  day  of 
September,  1830.  This  w-as  a  heavy  blow  to  the  par- 
ents, especially  the  mother,  for  Elizabeth  was  just  old 
enough  to  be  great  company  for  her  in  their  wilderness 


Boyhood  Days  43 

home.  On  October  24,  1828,  their  second  child,  Bar- 
bara, was  born.  She  was  named  after  one  of  her 
father's  sisters.  On  the  12th  day  of  February,  1831, 
their  third  child,  Mary,  was  born,  and  on  the  10th  day 
of  December,  1832,  their  fourth  child,  Isaiah  Lafayette, 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born.  His  first 
name  was  given  by  his  father,  who  was  a  great 
admirer  of  the  prophecies  by  Isaiah,  and  the  name  was 
given  in  honor  of  him.  The  second  name  was  given 
by  his  mother's  brother,  Abraham,  who,  having  heard 
from  his  own  father  so  much  about  General  Lafayette 
and  what  he  had  done  to  aid  the  Americans  in  gaining 
their  independence,  had  become  a  great  admirer  of  the 
patriotic,  liberty-loving  young  Frenchman. 

Doctor  Kephart  says :  "Among  my  earliest  recol- 
lections were  mother's  cooking  over  the  fire  on  the 
corner  chimney,  baking  bread  in  the  Dutch  oven, 
spinning  and  weaving,  and  teaching  me  to  kneel  at  the 
trundle-bed  and  say,  'Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,'  etc., 
and  father's  coming  in  from  a  day's  hunt,  having  on 
his  'coon-skin'  cap,  carrying  his  gun  and  shot-pouch 
and  the  small  deer  he  had  killed.  I  also  remember 
(and  I  could  not  have  been  more  than  three  or  four 
years  old)  that  during  a  part  of  one  winter  Uncle 
David  Goss  was  employed  by  father  to  thrash  out  his 
wheat  with  the  flail.  This  uncle  was  then  a  young 
man  and  very  full  of  fun,  and  I  would  insist  on  sleep- 
ing with  him.  He  slept  upstairs.  This  apartment  was 
very  open.  We  could  see  out  through  the  clapboards 
and  chinks,  and  consequently  it  was  a  cold  place  to 
sleep ;  but  we  slept  comfortably  under  the  feather  tick. 
The   only   way  to   ascend   to  this   apartment   was  by 


44  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

means  of  a  ladder  that  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  room. 
On  this  I  could  ascend  but  could  not  descend,  and  I 
well  remember  that  one  morning  I  awoke,  crept  out  of 
bed  (Uncle  'Dave'  was  already  downstairs),  ran  to  the 
stairway,  and,  lying  and  stretching  my  head  down, 
called  for  some  one  to  come  up  and  lift  me  down.  My 
mischievous  uncle  promptly  came  at  my  call,  got  me  by 
my  two  ears,  and  lifted  me  down. 

"I  also  remember  that  one  day,  about  this  time,  I 
teased  my  mother  to  let  me  go  out  to  the  barn  to  see 
Uncle  'Dave'  thrash.  Finally  she  consented.  My 
oldest  sister  put  a  cloak  about  my  shoulders  and  I 
started  to  the  barn.  When  about  half  way  there,  an 
old  gander  set  upon  me,  threw  me  down,  and  com- 
menced to  pinch  me  with  his  beak  and  pound  me  with 
his  wings  most  unmercifully.  Uncle  heard  my  screams, 
ran  to  my  relief,  knocked  the  pugilistic  old  gander  to 
one  side,  and  carried  me  to  the  barn ;  and  when  I 
became  cold  he  carried  me  into  the  house.  These  are 
among  my  earliest  recollections." 

On  the  6th  day  of  November,  1834,  the  fifth  child, 
Ezekiel  Boring,  was  born.  He  was  named  after  Ezekiel 
Boring,  an  eccentric  old  United  Brethren  presiding 
elder,  who  had  conducted  some  successful  religious 
meetings  and  preached  quite  powerfully  in  the  neigh- 
borhood during  the  year  1833-34.  Doctor  Kephart 
says :  "My  earliest  recollections  of  my  'black-headed' 
brother  (I  was  'white-headed'  when  a  boy)  are  as  fol- 
lows: On  a  warm  summer's  day  my  mother  was 
washing  and  had  her  tubs  set  in  the  shade  of  a  great 
gum-tree  that  stood  about  four  rods  from  the  spring. 
The  spring  was  large  and  deep  and  walled  with  stone. 


Boyhood  Days  45 

The  water  was  nearly  up  to  the  top  of  the  wall — so 
near  that  it  was  conveniently  dipped  with  a  bucket. 
While  mother  was  busy  with  her  washing  and  my  two 
sisters  were  at  the  house  taking  care  of  the  baby,  my 
little  brother  and  I  were  at  the  spring  paddling  in  the 
water  with  our  hands.  Several  times  mother  called  to 
us  to  go  away  from  the  spring  lest  we  fall  in.  Finally 
my  brother's  foot  slipped  and  in  he  went.  He  screamed 
at  once  and  mother  came  running,  frightened  almost 
out  of  her  wits,  thrust  in  her  arm,  got  him  by  the 
shoulder,  and  drew  him  out  very  much  strangled.  A 
thorough  shaking  and  a  little  time  restored  him  to  con- 
sciousness. Rest  assured  this  bit  of  experience  made 
us  thoroughly  shy  of  the  spring  thereafter." 

Speaking  of  the  other  members  of  the  family  born  in 
this  second  cabin  home.  Doctor  Kephart  says :  "On 
the  18th  day  of  April,  1836,  my  second  brother,  Abra- 
ham Goss,  was  born.  He  was  named  after  his  Grand- 
father Goss.  No  important  event  marks  my  earliest 
recollection  of  him.  On  the  17th  day  of  June,  1838, 
my  fourth  sister,  Susannah  A.,  was  born.  Of  her  birth 
I  have  a  distinct  recollection.  Well  do  I  remember 
how  we  stood  around  Grandmother  Kephart  and  gazed 
upon  the  little  red  baby  while  she  told  us  how  she 
had  found  a  little  baby  in  a  hollow  tree  and  brought  it 
to  be  our  little  sister." 

The  following  description  of  a  barn-building  indi- 
cates some  of  the  characteristics  of  Father  Kephart. 
The  description  is  given  in  the  words  of  Dr.  I.  L.  Kep- 
hart: 

"During  the  summer  of  1837  my  father  built  a  round 
log  double  barn.     It  was  called  a  double  barn  because 


46  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

it  consisted  of  two  bins,  eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet, 
and  fourteen  feet  high  'to  the  square,'  with  a  space 
between  the  two  bins  of  about  eighteen  by  twenty-four 
feet  for  the  thrashing-floor. 

"The  raising  of  this  barn  marked  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  Clearfield  County.  Prior  to  this  time  it  was 
deemed  impossible  to  raise  a  small  cabin  or  barn  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  gallon  or  two  of  whisky ;  but  several 
years  before  he  raised  his  new  barn,  Henry  Kephart 
had  resolved  on  total  abstinence.  He  felt  that  there 
was  a  curse  lurking  in  the  bottle  and  was  determined 
not  to  incur  the  woe  pronounced  upon  'him  that  giveth 
his  neighbor  drink.' 

"He  had  been  thoroughly  convinced  also  that  as  a 
help  in  accomplishing  a  great  task,  whisky  was  a  fraud. 
This  conclusion  he  was  brought  to  in  this  wise :  He  had 
a  clearing  on  hand  and  invited  his  neighbors  to  a  log 
rolling.  Ten  of  them  came.  They  had  as  help,  two 
yoke  of  oxen  and  one  and  a  half  gallons  of  whisky. 
They  worked  all  day  and  made  ten  log-heaps.  The 
next  day  he  hired  his  neighbor  (Mr.  Jacob  Baughman) 
to  assist  him  and  they  two  made  eleven  log-heaps,  and 
with  only  one  yoke  of  oxen  and  no  whisky  to  assist 
them.  This  satisfied  him  that  whisky  as  a  help  was  a 
fraud,  and  he  resolved  from  henceforth  and  forever  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

"When  he  was  ready  to  raise  his  new  barn,  he  went 
around  and  asked  his  neighbors  to  come  on  a  certain 
day  and  assist  him.  Many  of  them  would  ask,  'Are 
you  going  to  have  whisky?'  and  he  would  frankly  tell 
them  'No.'  'Oh !  I  am  sorry  for  you  ;  you  are  sure  not 
to  get  your  barn  up  without   whisky.'     But  the  day 


Boyhood  Days  47 

came,  and  with  it  came  the  neighbors  in  force.  The 
barn  was  raised  by  sundown,  complete.  Not  a  man 
was  injured  and  there  was  not  even  one  fight — a  cir- 
cumstance that  had  not  been  known  to  occur  in  the 
county  before. 

"The  fall  following,  the  barn  being  finished,  a  quar- 
terly meeting  was  held  in  it.  Rev.  Harmon  Ow  was 
the  presiding  elder  and  Rev.  Adolphus  Harnden  the 
preacher  in  charge.  On  the  Sunday  of  the  meeting 
the  presiding  elder  thought  they  would  just  have  com- 
munion and  feet-washing  in  the  evening  and  dispense 
with  preaching,  but  Harnden  insisted  on  having 
preaching  and  inviting  mourners.  He  said  there  were 
sinners  attending  the  meeting  who  needed  religion,  and 
that  that  barn  had  been  raised  without  whisky  (he  was 
a  radical  teetotaler),  and  he  said,  T  am  sure  if  we  do 
our  duty  the  Lord  will  give  us  a  revival.'  The  elder 
yielded  to  his  earnest  solicitation  and  appointed  him  to 
preach.  He  did  so  with  his  usual  zeal,  and  the  result 
was  that  ten  persons  came  forward  as  seekers.  The 
meeting  was  a  powerful  one  and  some  fifteen  joined 
the  Church  before  it  closed.  Harnden  remarked  in  his 
blunt  way,  T  knew  the  Lord  would  give  us  a  revival 
because  that  barn  was  raised  without  whisky.'  This 
barn  stood  some  eighty  rods  distant  from  the  little  log 
cabin,  and  I  well  remember  of  my  mother  and  Aunt 
Susan  Goss  carrying  me  to  the  meeting." 

During  the  summer  of  1839  Henry  Kephart  built  a 
new  house  near  to  the  new  barn.  This  was  a  hewed 
log  structure  twenty-four  by  thirty-two  feet,  two 
stories,  and  covered  with  shingles,  and,  compared  with 
the  little  log  cabin,  was  quite  a  pretentious  mansion.  In 


48  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

March,  1840,  the  family  bade  adieu  to  the  Httle  log 
cabin  and  moved  into  the  new  house.  That  was  an 
event  in  the  history  of  the  family.  The  large,  unfin- 
ished new  house  was  very  different  from  the  old.  The 
first  and  second  floors  were  properly  laid,  but  there  was 
not  a  partition  in  the  house.  The  cracks  on  the  first 
story  were  chinked  and  filled  with  mortar,  but  those  on 
the  second  story  were  quite  open.  There  were  five 
windows,  each  containing  twelve  (eight-by-ten-inch) 
panes  of  glass  on  the  first  story,  but  none  on  the 
second ;  the  large  stone  chimney  that  stood  outside  and 
in  the  center  of  the  south  end  of  the  house,  was  only 
raised  a  little  more  than  half  way  to  the  top  of  the 
house  with  stone,  and  the  remainder  was  made  of  pine 
boards.  This  during  the  summer  caught  fire  several 
times,  but  during  the  following  fall  the  boards  were 
taken  down  and  the  chimney  finished  up  with  stone. 

The  beds  for  the  children  were  placed  on  the  second 
floor,  and,  the  third  or  attic  floor  not  being  laid,  it 
made  a  most  airy  and  romantic  place  to  romp  and 
sleep.  Before  winter  came  the  cracks  were  all  filled 
with  chunks  and  plastered  on  the  outside  with  mortar, 
and  several  windows  inserted  and  a  partition  put  up, 
separating  the  lower  apartment  into  a  kitchen  and  a 
living-room. 

Here,  on  the  24th  of  April,  the  eighth  child.  Tsabelle 
Jane,  was  born,  and  in  this  house  were  born  the  re- 
maining five  children  of  the  family.  Doctor  Kephart 
says:  "The  first  winter  we  spent  in  the  new  house, 
our  preacher.  Rev.  Isaac  Kuhns,  with  his  wife  and  son 
Levi,  a  boy  about  my  age,  made  his  home  with  us.  It 
was  a  long,  cold  winter.    The  snow  was  deep  most  of 


Boyhood  Days  49 

the  time  and  we  had  quite  a  time  wading  through  it  to 
the  old  schoolhouse  in  the  corner  of  Grandfather  Kep- 
hart's  field,  about  two  miles  distant.  Levi  Kuhns  went 
with  us  most  of  the  time,  but,  being  a  peevish,  puny 
boy,  he  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

No  more  appropriate  closing  can  be  given  this  chap- 
ter than  two  of  Doctor  Kephart's  poems,  in  which  he 
expresses  his  memory  of,  and  attachment  to  the  scenes 
of  his  boyhood  days. 

THE  OLD   GUM-TREE.* 
[Written  March  1, 1880.] 

The  stately  gum-tree !     How  it  towers  aloft ! 

Its  green,  wavy  branches,  'neath  whose  grateful  shade 
My  brothers  and  sisters  in  youth  scampered  oft, — 

How    those    branches    spread    out    when    'neath    them    we 
played. 

It  stands  near  the  cot,  not  far  from  the  spring, 

That  rustic  old  cabin  in  which  I  was  born, — 
How  our  joyous  young  voices  oft  caused  it  to  ring, 

While  that  sturdy  old  tree  was  lashed  with  the  storm. 
When  the  storm  had  subsided,  then  sallied  we  forth. 

As  the  sun  kissed  the  raindrops  away  from  its  leaves ; 
And  we  swung  in  its  branches,  as  wind  from  the  north 

Drove  the  rain-clouds  away,  and  birds  in  the  trees 
Sung  their  anthems  of  praise  for  sunshine  and  showers — 

For  the  pure,  balmy  air  and  the  sweet-scented  flowers. 

Dear,  stately  old  tree !     What  memories  twine 

Round  thy  sturdy  old  form !     How  I  think,  as  I  gaze, 
Of  the  innocent  pleasures  of  thoughtless  youth-time. 

And  the  rustic  delights  of  those  earlier  days. 
How,  dressed  out  in  "homespun,"  we  scampered  about, 

And  the  mountains  reechoed  the  songs  that  we  sung. 
Twice  twenty  long  years  have  since  sped  away, — 

Their  freight  of  humanity's  joys  and  sad  tears 
They  have  borne  to  eternity's  shore, — there  to  lay, 

While  the  days  multiply  into  seasons  and  years. 


50  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Once  more  I  sit  down  'neath  thy  shade,  old  gum-tree, 
And  my  thoughts  hurry  back  to  the  days  so  long  past, — 

Oh,  the  many  reflections !  the  wonders  I  see, 
As  I  think  of  the  time  when  we  scampered  here  last. 

Old  friend,  you  're  the  same ;  but  a  little  more  frail, — 

The  sod  'neath  thy  boughs  seems  as  soft  and  as  green 
As  when  with  my  brothers  and  sisters  so  hale 

I  sported  in  innocence  under  thy  screen. 
One  brother  is  gone,  who  pla\'ed  with  us  here, — f 

The  youngest  of  three, — for  God  took  him  home ; 
And  others  are  scattered,  some  far  and  some  near, 

While  I  on  this  spot  once  more,  and  alone. 
Recline  'neath  thy  shade  to  think  of  the  past. 

And  hope  we  may  meet  in  the  home  of  the  blessed. 
Dear  father !  dear  mother !     They,  too,  have  removed. 

And  dwell  on  the  prairies ;  this  home,  how  they  loved ! 
Here,  here,  in  their  youth  they  united  for  life. 

And  commenced  first  to  live  as  husband  and  wife. 

Old  tree!  'neath  thy  shade  their  table  they  spread, 

And  gave  to  the  host,  who  the  Word  came  to  hear, 
From  their  own  scanty  store  of  butter  and  bread — 

They  gave  as  to  Him  whom  they  loved  to  revere. 
But  time  has  rolled  onward,  and  forty  years  sped 

Away  to  the  past  since  that  day ;  and  to  think 
Of  the  scores  that  have  with  it  passed  on  to  the  dead, 

And  now  tread  the  paths  on  eternity's  brink. 

I,  too,  speed  along  with  the  flight  of  old  time, 

Now  stop  but  a  moment,  to  think  of  the  past, 
But,  as  I  move  onward,  those  j'outh-sports  of  mine, 

The  sight  of  the  gum-tree  revives  them  at  last. 
Dear  home  of  my  childhood !  so  rustic,  so  plain ! 

Would  thy  innocent  sports  were  mine  to  live  o'er. 
Dear  parents!   dear  brothers!  dear  sisters!  how  fain 

Would  I  nestle  around  you  so  fondly  once  more. 
But  may  I  not  hope  for  a  home  by  and  by, 

Where  we  shall  all  meet, — in  the  realms  of  the  blest? 
Oh,  yes,  for  the  Day-star  illumines  the  sky, 

And  faith  clearly  points  to  a  heavenly  rest. 

'■■This  tree  stood  near  the  ori-^iniil  round-log  cabin  lioino. 
fAbraliiini   Goss  Kephart.     William  was  also  dead  at  time  of  this 
writing,  but  he  was  not  born  in  the  cabin  near  the  guiu-tree. 


Boyhood  Days  51 

A  VISIT  TO  MY  CHILDHOOD'S  HOME. 
[This  visit  was  made  during  tbe  summei-  of  1907.] 

I  st(X)d  upon  the  spot  half-way  between 
Where  once  the  house  and  barn  had  been ; 
It  was  the  garden  spot  where,  oh,  so  oft, 
I  then  had  seen  my  mother  weed  the  onion  bed, 
The  cabbage  hoe ;  the  beans  and  peas 
And  lettuce  cultivate. 

From  there  I  strolled 
Off  to  the  big  and  little  springs.     How 
Changed  were  all !     The  gum-tree  's  dead, 
The  spring-house  gone !     No  milk  and 
Cream  and  butter  there  as  once  they  were, 
So  cool,  refreshing,  and  with  bread, 
So  hunger  satisfying. 

My  heart  was  sad 
As  in  my  mind  the  loved  ones  of  the 
Years  so  long  gone  by  I  fresh  recalled 
To  mind,  and  lived  again  with  them 
The  happy  days  of  that  now  long-gone 
Time,  and  those  ne'er-to-be-forgotten  years. 

Where  are  they  now?     Beyond  that 
Bourne  whence  traveler  ne'er  returns. 
I  sauntered  then  away  among  the  apple-trees. 
Trees  which  when  but  a  child  I  saw 
My  father  plant;  then  small  and  tender 
Shoots ;  now  great  strong  trees  with 
Branches  spreading  wide  and  laden 
Well  with  fruit.    In  years  long  gone  I  'd 
Seen  my  mother  smile  while  looking 
On  the  bloom  of  all  those  trees  then  very 
Young,  because  the  bloom  to  her  discerning 
Eye  was  prophecy  of  coming  fruit. 

I  journeyed  to  and  fro  across  those  dear  old 
Mountain  fields.     To  me  the  very  stones  and 
Every  clod  was  precious,  for  had 
Not  father  dear  with  plow  and  hoe 
And  tread  of  his  now  hallowed  feet 
Stirred,  tossed,  and  pressed  each,  every  one 
Of  these  in  days  so  long  agone? 


52  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Ah !  rugged  mountain  farm,  home 
Of  my  childhood  days,  would  that 
I  could  go  back  to  you  just  as  you  were 
When  father  there  and  mother  dear,  my 
Brothers  and  my  sisters,  too,  all  in  one 
Large  family  circle  clustered  there 
And  made  it,  of  all  spots  on  earth, 
Most  dear  to  me,  because  it  was  my 
Childhood's  homely,  peaceful. 
And  contented  home.     But  that  can 
Never  be.     They  all  are  gone,  and  I 
Alone  am  here. 

So,  sacred  spot,  fields  cleared  by  father's 
Sweat  and  toil,  where  once  I  romped 
And  played  with  brothers,  sisters  dear, 
I  'm  with  you  once  again,  and  very 
Likely  for  the  last,  last  time  I  '11  ever  be. 
I  hold  to  you  my  hand  of  cordial  greeting 
In  token  of  my  love  for  you. 
The  way  of  all  my  kin  I  go ;  like  them, 
I,  too,  must  bid  you  all  adieu. 
How  soon  I  '11  sleep  the  sleep  of  death, 
I  do  not  know,  but  while  my  reason 
Keeps  its  throne,  and  my  memory  holds 
Good,  I  will  not  fail  to  cherish 
Most  tender,  pleasant  memories  of  you. 


SCHOOLBOY  AND 
LUMBERMAN 


I  have  tried  to  live  a  Christian  life;  I  die  the  Christian's 
death — a  sinner  saved  by  grace,  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
the  divine  Son  of  God. 

In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  Amen. 

I.  L.  Kephart. 

September  18,  1908. 


III. 

SCHOOLBOY  AND  LUMBERMAN 


The  early  boyhood  days  of  Doctor  Kephart  were 
spent,  as  were  those  of  other  children  in  the  vicinity, 
about  his  home,  he  early  showing  a  disposition  to  be 
helpful  in  providing  and  caring  for  the  family.  When 
he  was  six  years  old,  he  attended  his  first  school. 
Speaking  of  these  early  school-days,  he  says  that  his 
parents  paid  four  dollars  for  two  months'  tuition  for 
him  and  a  sister  who  was  four  years  his  senior.  Their 
teacher  was  Abraham  Goss,  their  uncle.  Their  text- 
books were  Webster's  Spelling  Book  and  the  New 
Testament.  Through  the  assistance  of  her  mother,  his 
sister  had  become  quite  an  apt  reader  before  she  went 
to  school,  and  Isaiah,  then  in  his  seventh  year,  was 
advanced  from  the  alphabet  to  the  "a-b-abs"  the 
afternoon  of  his  first  day's  schooling,  and  he  tells  how 
proud  he  was,  upon  reaching  home,  to  inform  his 
mother  and  receive  the  welcome  approbation,  "That  's 
a  good  boy."  His  description  of  the  school  exercises  is 
as  follows : 

"Soon  after  school  was  called,  the  pupils  who  were 
trying  to  learn  their  letters  and  those  who  were  begin- 
ning to  spell  words  of  two  and  three  letters  would  be 
called  to  the  teacher,  who  had  his  seat  in  one  corner 
of  the  room,  one  at  a  time.  Those  learning  the  alpha- 
bet would  say  their  letters  over  from  a  to  z  and  then 
backwards  from  z  to  a.  after  which  the  teacher  would 


56  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

point  to  several  different  letters  at  random,  asking  the 
pupil  to  name  each  and  telling  him  the  names  if  he  did 
not  remember  them.  Not  until  the  pupil  could  name 
every  letter  at  sight  was  he  advanced  beyond  the 
alphabet. 

"The  advanced  pupils  were  given  lessons  in  reading, 
writing,  and  arithmetic.  In  reading,  they  would  stand 
up  in  a  row,  sometimes  reaching  two-thirds  around  the 
room,  and  each  in  turn  would  read  a  verse  from  the 
New  Testament,  the  teacher  pronouncing  the  difficult 
words.  Never  did  the  class  read  in  concert ;  such  a 
thing  was  not  known,  and  would  have  been  considered 
a  dangerous  innovation." 

School  was  kept  in  a  log  cabin,  which  he  himself 
thus  describes : 

"Well  do  I  remember  the  little,  dingy,  log  cabin 
schoolhouse.  It  stood  in  a  corner  of  grandfather's 
field,  on  the  top  of  a  hill.  Close  up  to  the  northwest 
swayed  the  tall  pines  and  hemlocks,  to  the  east  and 
south  were  the  fields  in  which  we  played  ball,  and  to 
the  north,  among  the  timber,  was  the  path  to  the 
spring,  leading  down  the  steep  hill,  which  afforded  us 
a  sliding-place.  But  that  old  schoolhouse !  What  a 
spectacle  it  presented  on  a  cold  winter's  day  when 
school  was  in  session !  No  plastered  walls  and  ceiling, 
no  blackboards,  no  patent  seats  and  writing-desks. 
The  walls  were  of  round  pine  logs ;  the  chinks  were 
filled  first  with  bits  of  wood  and  chips  wedged  in  and 
'daubed'  with  mortar  made  of  yellow  clay,  without 
sand  or  lime ;  the  floor  was  of  rough  pine  boards, 
having  in  it  large  cracks,  and  the  joists  on  which  the 
'upper  floor'  rested  were  rough,  round  pine  poles  not 


Schoolboy  and  Lumherman  57 

more  than  seven  feet  above  the  lower  floor.  The 
'writing-benches'  (desks)  were  constructed  by  boring 
holes  into  the  logs  of  the  walls  and  driving  large 
wooden  pins  into  these  holes  and  placing  rough  pine 
boards  upon  these  pins,  the  holes  being  so  bored  as  to 
give  the  boards  an  inclination  towards  the  wall  of 
about  thirty  degrees. 

"In  front  of  these  rough  writing-desks  were  placed 
benches  on  which  we  sat  when  writing,  so  as  to  face 
toward  the  wall  and  have  our  backs  all  turned  toward 
the  inner  part  of  the  room.  These  benches,  with  those 
occupying  the  interior  of  the  room,  were  constructed 
by  taking  straight  pine  or  chestnut  poles  about  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  splitting  them  in  halves,  smoothing 
the  flat  side  with  a  chopping-ax,  and  boring  four  holes 
(two  at  either  end)  into  them,  and  driving  large 
wooden  pins  into  these  holes,  which  answered  as  legs 
on  which  the  benches  rested. 

"The  house  had  three  windows,  one  of  twelve  panes 
of  glass  (six  by  eight  inches)  on  the  south  side,  a 
similar  one  on  the  north  side,  and  on  the  east  side  a 
long,  narrow  window  having  ten  panes  of  glass  in  it, 
so  arranged  as  to  make  a  window  two  feet  high  and 
four  feet  wide.  This  window  was  constructed  in  this 
way  to  give  light  all  along  the  long  writing-board  that 
graced  the  west  side  of  the  room. 

"The  apartment  was  heated  by  a  large,  old-fashioned 
'ten-plate'  stove,  which  occupied  the  center  of  the 
room,  and  in  which  wood  was  used  as  fuel ;  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  room  was  the  remnant  of  an 
old  'corner  chimney'  built  of  very  rough  stone,  for  this 
cabin  had  been  originally  erected  for  a  dwelling-house. 


58  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

''The  door  was  on  the  east  side  from  the  big  road 
which  passed  near  by.  Not  a  particle  of  paint  of  any 
kind  graced  any  portion  of  the  schoolhouse  or  its  fur- 
niture, and  as  the  'clapboards'  which  formed  the  roof 
were  held  in  their  place  by  'weight  poles'  instead  of 
being  nailed  down,  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  not  five 
pounds  of  nails  were  used  in  erecting  the  entire  struc- 
ture." 

The  humdrum  of  school-day  life  was  relieved  by 
many  an  interesting  episode,  two  of  which  are  de- 
scribed below  in  the  language  of  Doctor  Kephart 
himself: 

"John  Hughes,  an  Englishman,  was  our  teacher 
(successor  of  Abraham  Goss),  and,  being  cross,  made 
us  toe  the  mark  closely.  He  was  a  young,  single  man 
of  hot  English  blood,  and  with  him  it  was  a  'word  and 
a  blow,'  and  sometimes  the  blow  came  first.  I  remem- 
ber one  afternoon  I  was  sitting  studying  my  spelling 
lesson  very  diligently.  By  reason  of  my  feet  not  reach- 
ing to  the  floor  and  having  no  support,  they  became 
numb,  and  to  relieve  them  I  swung  them  to  and  fro, 
and  the  toes  of  my  shoes  would  occasionally,  without 
my  noticing  it,  touch  the  floor.  All  of  a  sudden  the 
teacher's  long  rod  (he  kept  a  birch  rod  fully  five  feet 
in  length,  and  with  it  he  could  readily  reach  me  with- 
out rising  from  his  seat)  came  crash!  crash!  across 
my  little  shoulders.  It  brought  me  to  my  feet  instanter, 
very  much  surprised,  for  I  was  thinking  that  if  there 
was  a  pupil  in  school  deserving  of  commendation  just 
then  for  diligently  studying  the  lesson,  it  was  myself. 
I  stared  an  inquiring  stare  at  the  teacher,  as  much  as 
to  say,  What  have  I  done  to  merit  such  cruel  treat- 


Schoolboy  and  Lumherman  59 

ment?  Imagine  my  surprise  and  chagrin  when  he 
roared  out,  'Keep  your  feet  still !'  Oh,  how  my  little 
heart  did  then  ache  with  a  sense  of  brutal  and  unjust 
treatment.  It  was  a  long  time  before  the  wound  in 
my  heart  was  healed.  I  carried  my  grievance  home  to 
a  sympathetic  mother,  who  bemoaned  my  ill  treat- 
ment, but  soothed  my  wounded  feelings  by  assuring 
me  that  it  was  better  to  be  beaten  innocent  than 
guilty,  which  up  to  that  time  in  my  life  was  the  hardest 
thing  I  had  ever  tried  to  see." 

Doctor  Kephart  describes  particularly  a  certain 
"barring  out  the  schoolmaster"  which  took  place  at 
the  old  schoolhouse  on  the  hill  in  "Granddaddy  Kep- 
hart's  field."  The  teacher  was  Henry  Platner,  from 
Blair  County,  about  twenty-five  years  old.  The  school 
was  composed  of  between  forty  and  fifty  scholars  of 
both  sexes.  The  "barring  out"  occurred  at  noon  when 
the  teacher  had  gone  to  a  neighboring  house  for  his 
dinner.     The  description  in  part  follows : 

"No  sooner  was  he  gone  than  all  hands  hastily  par- 
took of  their  dinners,  and  then,  instead  of  going  out  to 
play  ball,  'ring-around-the-rosy,'  'see-saw,'  and  so 
on,  all  remained  within,  fastened  the  door,  and  made 
every  possible  preparation  for  'keeping  him  out.' 
One  end  of  a  bench  was  placed  against  the  foot  of  the 
stove  and  the  other  end  was  brought  one-third  the  way 
down  from  the  top  of  the  door  and  made  to  rest  firmly 
against  this.  On  this,  three  small  lads  (Bill  Shaw, 
Ess.  Kephart,  and  John  Reece)  were  stationed  to  hold 
it  firm.  It  was  deemed  expedient  to  extinguish  all  the 
fire  in  the  stove  lest  the  assaulting  party,  either  by 
throwing  brimstone  down  the  pipe,  or  by  placing  a 


60  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

board  on  top  of  it,  smoke  us  out.  John  Green,  a  col- 
ored boy  of  sixteen,  and  I  were  stationed  aloft  armed 
with  a  piece  of  slab  five  feet  in  length  to  prevent  his 
coming  in  through  the  roof. 

"At  length,  about  ten  minutes  to  one  o'clock,  we 
saw  his  head  gradually  appearing  over  the  hill. 
Promptly  the  alarm  was  given  to  those  below,  and  all 
hands  flew  to  their  posts,  Abe  Goss,  Hen.  Kephart, 
Dan.  Crowell,  and  Henry  Baughman  had  command. 
They  had  already  prepared,  in  writing,  the  conditions 
of  surrender ;  namely,  that  on  Christmas  Day  he  should 
treat  the  school  to  six  pounds  of  candy,  four  pounds 
of  English  walnuts,  and  two  bushels  of  apples ;  if  not, 
their  worth  in  loaf  sugar. 

"On  arriving  at  the  door  the  teacher  demanded,  in 
stentorian  tones,  that  it  be  immediately  opened,  but 
the  answer  from  within  was  cool  and  defiant.  Finally 
he  was  induced  to  come  around  to  the  south  window, 
when  the  conditions  of  surrender  were  presented.  He 
then  very  indignantly  pronounced  them  outrageous 
and  tore  the  paper  into  ribbons,  declaring  that  he  was 
coming  in  if  he  had  to  pull  the  house  down,  and  the 
taunting  reply  was  that  he  would  not  get  in  even  if  he 
did  pull  the  house  down.  The  master  started  for  his 
boarding-place  and  soon  reappeared  with  an  ax  on  his 
shoulder  and  vigorously  assaulted  the  door,  pounding 
it  with  the  ax  until  he  split  it  in  several  places.  This 
availing  him  nothing,  he  climbed  to  the  roof  and  com- 
menced tearing  away  the  clapboards,  but  my  brave 
colored  boy  and  I  were  equal  to  the  occasion,  for  no 
sooner  did  we  get  a  peep  at  him  than  we  sent  the  end 
of  a  slab  through  the  roof  with  such  force  that,  strik- 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  61 

ing  him  in  the  breast,  it  sent  him  clear  over  the  eaves  to 
the  ground.  True,  he  might  have  been  killed  by  the 
fall,  but  that  was  a  secondary  consideration  with  us." 

From  this  he  proceeds  to  narrate  how  the  teacher 
withdrew  to  visit  another  school.  The  schoolhouse 
was  guarded  all  night,  a  mock  school  kept  the  next 
day,  and  the  house  guarded  the  next  night,  and  mock 
school  kept  still  the  second  day.  At  this  point  he  says : 
"Between  two  and  three  o'clock,  John  Reece  and 
myself  were  sent  down  to  Granddaddy  Kephart's  to 
see  what  time  it  was.  Grandmother  took  advantage  of 
our  presence  to  give  us  a  sharp  lecture  on  the  folly  of 
our  keeping  the  teacher  out  and  wasting  our  time ;  but 
grandfather — jolly  old  Pennsylvania  Dutchman  that 
he  was — encouraged  us  by  laughing  heartily  and  say- 
ing, Ty  faith,  poys,  'ton't  you  let  him  in.'  "  The  next 
day,  Saturday,  the  mock  school  was  continued  with  the 
result  that  the  scholars  concluded  by  noon  that  they 
had  shown  their  ability  to  keep  the  master  out,  and 
hence  decided  to  let  him  come  in  the  next  Monday  and 
proceed  with  the  school.  The  treat,  however,  was  not 
given  at  Christmas,  but  at  the  close  of  the  term  a  treat 
of  five  pounds  of  loaf  sugar  was  supplied. 

Doctor  Kephart  describes  this  old-fashioned  school 
and  schoolhouse  in  the  following  poetic  form : 

A  peep  in  that  homely  old  cabin 

Some  cold  winter  day's  afternoon, 
Revealed  to  the  eye  of  the  peeper 

A  sight  not  forgotten  so  soon. 
There  was  seated  the  bald-headed  teacher, 

Cooped  up  in  one  corner  so  wise; 
Graj'-headed  and  wrinkled  "Old  Osier,'' 

With  wonderful  "specs"  on  his  eyes. 


62  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

There  were  buxom  }Oung  girls  dressed  in  homespun, 

And  strapping  big  boys  dressed  the  same ; 
There  were  meek  little  misses,  so  gentle. 

And  chubby  young  urchins  who  came, 
Some  wearing  queer  woolen  knit  skull  caps, — 

Seme  caps  made  of  coonskins  were  worn, — 
Came  breasting  the  stiff  mountain  breezes, 

That  belong  to  a  cold  winter's  morn. 

Some  dressed  in  a  spanking  new  linsey, — 

Some  ragged,  and  dirty,  and  patched, — 
Some  with  faces  and  hands  washed  and  pretty, — 

Some  filthy,  and  ugly,  and  scratched. 
We  were  huddled  along  on  the  benches. 

Some  with  feet  dangling  free  from  the  floor ; 
On  their  knees  would  oft  rest  their  elbows. 

And  their  heads  on  their  hands — and  then  snore. 

We  came  from  all  points  of  the  compass; 

Came  wading  the  snow  through  the  pines ; 
Came  two  and  three  miles  every  morning. 

Just  to  spell  and  to  read  a  few  lines. 
And  with  us  we  'd  all  bring  our  dinners 

Of  buckwheat,  or  rye,  or  wheat  bread; 
And  with  it,  some  few  would  have  sausage, 

And  some  would  have  nothing  to  spread. 

In  our  studies  that  school  was  a  picture ; 

Such  a  buzzing,  and  squinting,  and  noise; 
-Some  three  studied  out  of  one  speller. 

And  the  girls  often  sat  with  the  boys, 
For  the  books  were  quite  scarce  and  old-fashioned— 

Cobb's  Speller  and  Pike's  'rithmetic — 
New  Testament,  Old  English  Reader, 

Were  all — and  each  had  his  pick. 

When  the  school  was  dismissed  for  the  evening. 

At  once,  with  a  whoop  and  a  roar, 
Grabbing  caps,  hats,  shawls,  and  bonnets, 

All  rushed  to  be  first  through  the  door; 
Some  boisterously  shouted,  ''Good-evening" ; 

Some  cried,  'cause  the  crowd  threw  them  flat; 
One  shouted,  "Bill  Shaw  has  my  bonnet," — 

"Ess.  Kephart,  I  '11  mind  you  for  that." 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  63 

We  wended  our  way  through  the  forests, — 

Through  snowdrifts  we  struggled  along, 
Reaching  home,  often  late  in  the  evening, 

With  appetites  wondrously  strong. 
And  there,  I  shall  never  forget  it. 

The  thrice-welcome  sight  we  would  meet, 
Dear  mother,  a  booming  bright  fire. 

And  "mush-pot"  our  vision  would  greet. 

Some  time  later  there  was  built  what  was  called  the 
Center  Schoolhouse,  of  which  he  says  : 

"The  little  old  cabin  on  the  hill,  so  long  used  for 
public  and  Sunday  schools,  was  now  quite  too  small 
and  dilapidated,  and,  owing  to  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion, the  private  houses  were  quite  too  small  to  accom- 
modate the  people  who  came  to  hear  preaching. 

"There  being  no  public  money  with  which  to  build  a 
schoolhouse,  the  settlers  agreed  to  join  hands  and 
erect  a  house  for  'school  and  church  purposes.'  One 
subscribed  so  many  days'  work;  another  so  many 
shingles ;  another  so  many  feet  of  boards ;  another  so 
many  pounds  of  nails ;  another  so  many  panes  of  glass  ; 
another  so  many  days'  hauling  with  a  span  of  horses ; 
another  so  many  days'  hauling  with  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  so  on.  Mr.  John  Goss  gave  one-half  acre  of 
ground  for  the  site  and  the  pine  timber  for  the  logs." 

The  logs  were  hewed  by  Doctor  Kephart's  father, 
and  by  I.  L.  and  a  brother  (Bishop  Kephart)  were  the 
floors  laid,  the  door,  the  window-frames,  the  benches, 
and  the  writing-desks  made  and  placed  in  position.  In 
due  time  the  house  was  completed  and  Henry  Rufifner 
installed  as  teacher. 

That  house  still  stands  on  the  original  site,  two  miles 
west  from  Osceola  Alills,  now  Osceola,  and  is  occupied 


64  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

as  a  private  residence.  To  Doctor  Kephart  this  was  a 
sacred  inclosure  for  more  reasons  than  one,  chiefly 
because  there,  some  months  after  his  conversion,  he 
confessed  his  Lord  in  baptism.  There  he  first  attempted 
to  lead  a  prayer-meeting,  and  there  he  first  attempted 
pubhcly  to  preach  the  word. 

It  was  in  this  new  schoolhouse,  too,  that,  during  the 
winter  of  1855-56,  after  he  and  Bishop  Kephart  had 
both  attained  their  majority,  they  attended  school 
under  the  instruction  of  William  Hooper,  whose  friend, 
Mr.  John  D.  Gill,  taught  in  a  neighboring  school  dis- 
trict, for  both  of  whom  Doctor  Kephart  always  ex- 
pressed the  highest  appreciation,  for  the  reason  that 
very  largely  they  gave  him  the  inspiration  to  his  later 
school  work. 

He,  with  his  brother,  the  Bishop,  and  their  younger 
brothers,  had  worked  at  home  all  summer  and  had 
assisted  their  father  to  provide  an  abundance  of  sup- 
plies for  the  winter.  One  morning  their  father  stated 
that  they  had  secured  a  teacher  for  the  school  who 
could  teach  geography  and  grammar,  and  suggested 
that  they  had  better  arrange  to  attend.  Doctor  Kep- 
hart describes  events  leading  up  to  this  winter's  school- 
ing as  follows : 

"Father's  suggestion  was  heartily  sanctioned  by  the 
good  mother,  and  in  due  time  Zeek  (Ezekiel)  was  on 
his  way  to  see  Mr.  Shaw,  the  president  of  the  school 
board,  and  get  permission  for  the  two  older  brothers, 
who  were  both  of  age,  to  attend  the  school  for  the 
winter.  On  arriving  at  his  home  the  object  of  his  call 
was  stated,  in  reply  to  which  the  president  said :  'Well, 
now,  see  here.    Do  you  boys  mean  business  ?    Do  you 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  65 

really  wish  to  go  to  school  to  learn,  or  do  you  only 
want  to  go  there  to  kick  up  your  heels,  play  ball,  and 
make  trouble  for  the  teacher  ?' 

**  'Oh,  Mr.  Shaw,  we  are  in  earnest,'  was  the  reply. 
'We  are  too  old  now  to  fool  away  any  time.  We  really 
want  to  go  to  school  to  learn.'  " 

The  result  was  that  they  agreed  to  assist  in  making 
the  schoolroom  comfortable  in  consideration  of  tuition 
for  the  winter  term.  The  teacher  arrived  and  the 
work  of  the  school  passed  on  with  great  profit  to  these 
and  to  others  of  the  boys.  Doctor  Kephart  in  after 
years  naming  thirteen  different  men  who  came  out  of 
that  school  to  enter  upon  lives  of  usefulness  and  profit. 

During  this  winter  the  teacher  organized  a  literary 
society  that  held  meetings  on  Thursday  and  Saturday 
evenings  for  debate.  Two  weekly  papers  were  pro- 
duced and  read  each  Friday  afternoon,  at  which  also 
essays  were  read  and  declamations  spoken.  This  term 
of  school,  the  last  that  he  spent  in  public  school,  closed 
on  April  3,  1856,  with  an  exhibition  held  in  the  meet- 
ing-house that  stood  across  the  road  from  the  school- 
house,  the  exhibition  occupying  all  of  the  afternoon, 
and  until  midnight  following.  The  house  was  hand- 
somely decorated  with  hemlock  and  laurel,  a  large 
rostrum  was  provided,  and  a  program,  consisting  of 
declamations,  essays,  and  dialogues,  was  rendered  to 
the  delight  of  all,  closing  with  a  pretended  phrenological 
lecture,  in  which  Mr.  John  D.  Gill  took  the  place  of  the 
lecturer.  Speaking  of  the  influence  of  this  exhibition, 
Doctor  Kephart  names  it  "the  most  surprisingly  revo- 
lutionizing event  in  the  history  of  the  settlement.  Even 
now  there  are  those  who  remember  and  speak  of  it 


66  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

with  enthusiasm  and  delight.  Perhaps  nowhere  else 
in  the  history  of  this  country  did  the  faithful  work  of 
two  young  school-teachers  accomplish  so  much  for  the 
good  of  the  community.  It  opened  new  visions  for  the 
parents  and  set  new  ideals  before  the  minds  of  the  chil- 
dren. Looking  in  upon  that  Center  School  as  it  was 
constituted  that  winter,  one  saw  then  and  there  the 
boys  who  became  as  follows :  Thirteen  Union  soldiers 
for  the  Civil  War  (three  of  whom  were  killed),  four 
girls  who  became  the  wives  of  soldiers,  one  bishop, 
two  college  presidents,  one  superintendent  of  Schools, 
two  college  professors,  four  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
two  physicians,  one  lawyer,  and  a  missionary  to  India." 

Speaking  of  his  teachers  in  the  public  school.  Doctor 
Kephart  says : 

"As  a  teacher,  I  liked  'Uncle  Abe'  (Abraham  Goss. 
who  taught  the  first  school  he  attended — 1838-39),  as 
we  familiarly  called  him,  very  much,  but  when  the 
extra  cold  weather  set  in  about  Christmas,  I  was 
obliged  to  stay  at  home. 

"During  the  winter  of  1839-40,  Samuel  Osier  was 
our  teacher.  He  was  an  impulsive,  white-haired  old 
man,  very  kind  when  in  good  humor,  and  very  cross 
and  exacting  when  angry.  I  feared  him  very  much 
and  managed  to  get  through  without  being  thrashed. 

"After  Hughes  (the  teacher  who  thrashed  him  for 
dangling  his  feet),  Jonathan  R.  Ames,  an  old,  gray- 
headed,  good-natured  man,  who  always  liked  us,  but 
never  thrashed  us  for  our  misbehavior,  taught  for 
three  months.  During  his  administration  we  had  a 
great  time.  Frequently  would  he  fall  asleep  during 
school  hours,  and  just  as  frequently  would  we  wake 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  67 

him  from  his  sleep  by  shooting  him  on  the  nose  with 
our  "goose-quill  pop-guns,"  all  of  which  he  took  good- 
naturedly. 

"He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  Platner,  who  was  a 
wide-awake  teacher,  far  in  advance  of  any  we  had  had 
before;  good-natured  and  jolly,  but  who  insisted  on 
maintaining  good  order  during  school  hours,  to  do 
which  required  some  vigorous  thrashing  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  administration,  which  he  was  not 
slow  to  perform.  He  was  a  success  in  every  way,  and 
the  progress  made  by  the  pupils  indicates  this.  He 
taught  the  last  school  in  the  little  log  cabin  on  'Grand- 
father Kephart's  hill.'  " 

Henry  Ruffner  taught  one  term  in  the  new  school- 
house,  concerning  which  Doctor  Kephart  says :  "This 
was  the  last  winter  I  attended  public  school  before 
attaining  to  my  majority.  During  this  term  I  advanced 
in  arithmetic  to  compound  proportion,  but  could  go  no 
farther  because  the  teacher  could  go  no  farther." 

At  the  age  of  fourteen,  Isaiah  was  capable  of  taking 
charge  of,  and  driving  a  span  of  horses,  and,  being  the 
oldest  boy  in  the  family,  his  time  during  school  months 
was  necessarily  devoted  to  teaming  across  the  moun- 
tains and  in  the  lumber  forests ;  consequently,  so 
meager  was  his  schooling  that  he  attained  his  twenty- 
third  year  before  he  had  ever  looked  into  a  text-book 
on  geography  or  grammar  to  study  them.  However, 
by  the  aid  of  the  "pine-knot"  light,  he  had  read  with 
care  the  few  feooks  in  his  father's  cabin,  which  were 
the  Bible,  English  Reader,  Pilgrim's  Progress,  Bax- 
ter's "Saint's  Rest,"  Fleetwood's  "Life  of  Christ,"  and 
Fravel's  "Redemption,"  with  a  few  other  books  that 


68  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

he  borrowed,  among  which  were  Weem's  "Life  of 
Washington"  and  "Life  of  Franklin."  He  also 
attended  through  the  summer  the  country  Sabbath 
school,  and  by  committing  verses  of  scripture  to  mem- 
ory, purchased  a  New  Testament  and  several  other 
small  books. 

His  life  as  a  teamster  and  lumberman  covered  the 
period  from  his  fourteenth  to  his  twenty-fifth  year,  or 
from  1846  to  1857.  His  own  description  of  his  lum- 
bering experience  cannot  be  improved.  The  lumber 
industry  was  one  of  great  importance  and  one  furnish- 
ing reasonably  good  remuneration.  Pine  timber  was 
cut  into  "saw  logs"  and  hewed  into  "square  timber" 
intended  for  ship-masts.  He,  with  his  brother,  who 
afterward  became  Bishop  Kephart,  and  others,  built 
cabins  in  the  timber,  where  they  boarded  themselves 
and  would  spend  the  entire  season  in  preparing  lum- 
ber for  rafting  in  the  spring.  He  speaks  of  the  ordi- 
nary day's  experience  as  follows: 

"At  5  :  00  A.M.  the  one  honored  with  being  chief  cook 
would  rise,  start  a  fire  in  the  cook-stove,  and  call  the 
others  in  the  cabin  while  he  fried  meat,  boiled  potatoes, 
made  coflfee,  and  baked  buckwheat  cakes.  The  others 
would  prepare  some  wood  for  the  day  or  feed  and 
harness  the  horses.  Then  all  would  sit  down  to  the 
table,  on  which  the  dishes  had  been  arranged  the  night 
before,  and  partake  heartily  of  the  morning  meal. 
Having  finished  their  repast  by  six  o'clock,  each  one 
would  turn  his  plate  upside  down  over  his  knife  and 
fork  and  thus  they  would  be  ready  for  his  own  special 
service  at  noon.  Table  linen  was  not  in  use  at  all. 
Dishes  were  washed  once  a  day.    Breakfast  over,  the 


Schoolboy  and  Lwnherman  69 

cook  would  wash  and  clean  a  quart  of  beans,  place 
them  in  a  good-sized  dinner-pot,  add  to  them  a  piece  of 
pork  and  some  salt,  fill  the  pot  with  water,  place  it  on 
the  stove,  fill  the  stove  with  hard,  green  wood,  and 
then  away  all  hands  would  go  to  the  chopping,  the 
other  men  in  the  meantime  having  been  engaged  in 
whetting  the  axes. 

"At  half-past  eleven  the  cook  would  quit,  return  to 
the  cabin,  find  the  beans  and  pork  cooked  most  deli- 
ciously,  bake  buckwheat  cakes,  and  by  twelve  o'clock 
the  others  would  arrive  and  all  would  sit  down  and 
most  heartily  enjoy  their  dinner.  At  one  o'clock  all 
would  return  to  their  work  and  chop  as  long  as  they 
could  see;  then  they  would  return  to  the  cabin,  pre- 
pare and  eat  their  supper,  wash  the  dishes,  set  things 
in  order  in  the  cabin,  chat,  read,  or  play  checkers  for 
an  hour  or  so,  and  then  retire  to  their  rude,  rough  beds 
and  sleep  the  sleep  made  refreshing  by  hard,  honest 
toil  and  a  clear  conscience." 

In  the  spring  the  lumber  produced  during  the  winter 
was  made  into  rafts,  rafted  out  of  Clearfield  Creek, 
and  down  the  Susquehanna  River  to  the  market-places 
at  Marietta  and  elsewhere  along  its  course.  It  was 
while  employed  as  a  raftsman  that  Isaiah  made  his 
first  trip  to  Middletown,  Pennsylvania,  in  1851.  Later, 
he  became  a  skilled  pilot  on  the  Susquehanna  River, 
his  service  in  this  relation  being  chiefly  in  the  employ 
of  a  lumberman,  Mr.  John  M.  Chase. 

Doctor  Kephart  gives  a  description  of  his  rafting 
experience  when  his  brother.  Bishop  Kephart,  served 
as  steersman  and  himself  as  pilot.     It  is  as  follows : 

"At  the  time  in  question,  the  pilot  and  his  crew 


70  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

had  stopped  over  night  at  Phimb  Island,  midway 
between  Irvin's  and  Bigler's  dams.  The  next  morn- 
ing they  set  out  for  their  first  trip  that  spring  (1856) 
'through  the  mountains.'  By  referring  to  a  good 
map  of  Pennsylvania,  and  noting  the  points  in 
Clearfield  County  marked  'Lick  Run'  and  'Salt 
Lick,'  the  reader  w^ill  see  that  this  part  of  the  river 
passes  through  a  portion  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains. The  roughest  and  the  most  dangerous  places 
'to  run,'  as  the  pilots  would  say,  were  the  'White 
Brake,'  the  'Big  Pitch,'  the  'Big  Stepping  Stones,' 
the  'Ram's  Horn,'  the  'Big  Moshannon  Falls,'  and 
the  'Buttermilk  Falls.'  To  take  a  full  river  raft 
through  this  part  of  the  channel  required  a  crew  of 
six  men,  whereas  to  bring  the  same  raft  out  of 
Clearfield  Creek  required  a  crew  of  ten  men. 

"But,  despite  the  crookedness,  roughness,  and 
swiftness  of  the  stream,  for  a  skillful  pilot  and  a 
good  crew,  this  was  an  exciting,  delightful  part  of 
the  river  'to  run.'  The  rapidity  with  which  the  raft 
moved,  the  dashing,  splashing,  and  roaring  of  the 
water,  and  the  romantic  mountain  scenery, — high 
hills,  immense  gorges,  wild  canons, — all  added 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  'trip,'  and  the  writer 
has  often  thought,  if  he  can  just  feel  as  happy  when 
be  comes  to  die  as  he  felt  the  day  above  referred  to 
while  sweeping  'through  the  mountains'  on  that 
great  raft,  in  command  of  that  noble  crew  of  young 
men,  he  will  be  perfectly  satisfied. 

"On  they  went,  leaping  the  little  cascades,  round- 
ing the  great  bends,  gliding  through  the  smoother 
portions  of  the  stream,  and  by  1 :  00  p.m.  they  landed 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  71 

at  'the  foot  of  Buttermilk  Falls'  in  safety.  A 
four-mile  tramp  up  the  river  beach  brought  them 
to  'Salt  Lick,'  w<here  they  ate  their  dinner,  and  then 
they  set  out  for  a  twenty-mile  tramp  over  hills, 
through  hollows,  and  wading  mud,  and  by  10:00 
P.M.  they  arrived  at  Abraham  Ream's  well-kept  rafts- 
man's home,  on  the  hill  above  Fulton's  Dead  Water. 
There  a  hearty  supper  was  enjoyed,  and  the  tired 
men  stretched  themselves  on  the  floor  of  the  dining- 
room,  taking  their  boots  for  pillows,  and  were  soon 
sleeping  a  sound,  refreshing  sleep. 

"The  next  morning,  in  good  season,  they  boarded 
a  big  'half-oak'  raft  and  started  on  their  final  trip 
through  the  mountains  for  that  season.  On  they 
swept  in  safety,  nothing  unusual  occurring,  save  at  the 
'Ram's  Horn'  they  overtook  a  raft  of  boards,  which, 
for  the  time,  endangered  the  safety  of  both  rafts. 
However,  with  care,  extra  work,  and  a  great  deal 
of  unnecessary  'yelling'  on  the  part  of  the  badly- 
scared  pilot  of  the  board  raft,  both  passed  the  dan- 
gerous point  in  safety,  his  raft  only  riding  the  rocks 
a  little  in  the  bend  below. 

"About  5:00  p.m.,  they  sailed  down  through  the 
roaring,  dashing  'Buttermilk  Falls,'  only  to  see  the 
eddy  below  landed  full  of  rafts,  and  nearly  a  hun- 
dred raftsmen  there,  greatly  excited  over  the  fear 
that  a  big  raft,  'coming  in  head  first,'  would  'sweep 
the  eddy.'  However,  when  they  noticed  the  pilot 
and  crew  beginning  to  'cross  pull,'  so  as  to  come  in 
somew<hat  sidewise,  their  fears  subsided,  their  feel- 
ings became  more  friendly,  and  they  said,  one  to 
another,  'Let 's  take  hold  and  help  them  land.' 


72  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

"Havinj^  two  good  ropes  on  his  raft,  the  pilot 
succeeded  in  getting  two  of  his  men  out  in  time  to 
'take  a  hitch'  on  a  large  oak-tree,  quite  at  the  head 
of  the  eddy.  This  very  measureably  checked  the 
speed  of  the  raft,  and  with  that  he  picked  up  the 
other  rope,  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  follow  with  a 
handspike,  and  leaping  upon  an  adjoining  raft,  they 
commenced  to  'snub.'  Just  then  the  owner  of  the 
raft  on  which  they  were  snubbing  came  running, 
with  an  ax  drawn,  and  yelling,  'You  shan't  snub  on 
my  raft.    I  '11  cut  your  rope  !    I  '11  cut  your  rope  !' 

"  'Snub  away,  Andy !  snub  away !'  was  the  pilot's 
somewhat  excited  reply;  and  just  when  the  unrea- 
sonable man  was  about  to  put  his  threat  into  exe- 
cution, Mr.  John  M.  Chase,  who  happened  to  be 
in  sight,  seeing  that  the  man  with  the  ax  was  about 
to  prevent  the  landing  of  one  of  his  rafts,  rushed 
upon  the  scene,  caught  the  man  by  the  shoulder, 
whirled  him  around,  jerked  the  ax  out  of  his  hands, 
and  'preached'  him  a  regular  old-fashioned  rafts- 
man's sermon.  Oh,  but  he  did  rake  him  for  attempt- 
ing to  hinder  other  men  from  landing;  but  before 
he  was  done  'preaching,'  the  pilot  and  crew  had 
safely  landed  their  raft,  without  damaging  any  one ; 
and  in  due  time  the  excitement  subsided,  and  the 
unreasonable  man  slunk  away,  feeling  heartily 
ashamed  of  himself." 

Another  incident  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of 
1856  will  illustrate  his  experience  as  a  pilot.  Having 
piloted  four  rafts  out  to  "Fulton's  Dead  Water,"  as  it 
was  called,  he  prepared  to  take  one  raft  to  Marietta  on 
the  Susquehanna,    This  raft  was  225  feet  long,  26  feet 


Schoolboy  and  Lumberman  73 

wide,  and  was  composed  of  half  oak  and  half  pine 
timber.  They  started  hopefully,  but  when  they  came 
in  sight  of  "Salmon  Hole"  they  saw  an  eddy  landed 
full  of  rafts  and  a  hundred  or  more  men  there,  some 
of  whom  were  throwing  up  their  hats  and  shouting  at 
the  top  of  their  voices.  "Tie  up !  tie  up !  tie  up !" 

On  inquiring  as  to  the  trouble,  he  was  informed  that 
some  unskilled  pilot  had  missed  his  calculations  and 
"saddle-bagged"  his  raft  on  the  head  of  Spruce  Island, 
just  a  mile  below ;  that  the  hind  platform  lay  across  the 
head  of  the  island  with  at  least  ten  feet  of  it  projecting 
into  the  channel  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  it  impos- 
sible for  large  rafts  to  go  by.  Here,  then,  was  a 
dilemma.  Must  this  pilot  and  crew,  whose  hearts  were 
set  on  going  down  the  river  during  this  freshet,  have 
all  their  hopes  blasted  by  the  stupid  blunder  of  an 
incompetent  pilot?  Having  spent  some  time  studying 
the  situation,  the  pilot  returned  to  his  raft,  where  his 
men  were  assembled  trying,  in  various  ways,  to  give 
vent  to  their  feelings  of  disappointment  and  chagrin. 
On  stepping  on  board  the  raft,  his  brother  (Bishop 
Kephart)  approached  and  said  to  him:  "Suppose  you 
go  on  board  one  of  these  small  rafts  that  are  going  by 
and  ride  down  past  Spruce  Island  and  see  how  things 
look.     Perhaps  you  will  see  that  we  can  go  by." 

"No,"  said  the  pilot,  "it  is  not  worth  while.  Call 
the  men  here ;  I  have  a  proposition  to  make."  The  men 
came  and  the  pilot  said :  "Boys,  we  are  in  a  desperate 
box,  but  I  believe  there  's  barely  chance  to  get  out.  If 
you  will  promise  on  your  honor  to  stick  to  me  and  help 
me  to  gather  up  the  timber  and  raft  it  together  again, 
provided  we  tear  the  raft  to  pieces,  I  will  try  to  go  on." 


74  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Every  man  was  only  too  glad  to  give  his  pledge  of 
honor,  and  after  giving  a  few  words  of  instruction  to 
his  steersman  and  cautioning  the  men  to  give  heed  to 
no  one  and  to  nothing  else  save  their  duty  on  the  raft, 
he  told  his  other  brother,  Abraham,  to  go  ashore  and 
untie  the  rope.  No  sooner  had  the  raft  begun  to  drop 
down  through  the  eddy  than  the  hundred  men  or  more 
became  excited  and  gave  utterance  to  such  interroga- 
tories as,  "What  are  you  going  to  do?"  "Where  are 
yovi  going?"  "Why,  man,  you  're  crazy.  You  can 
never  get  through  with  that  big  raft.  You  '11  only 
form  a  jam  in  the  channel,  so  that  even  small  rafts  can- 
not get  through.    Stop !  stop  !" 

"Turner's  Riffle"  and  "Turner's  Rock"  were  safely 
passed,  the  turn  at  "Notched  Rock"  was  handsomely 
made,  and  in  due  time  the  great  raft,  sweeping  with 
great  speed,  struck  the  projecting  platform  on  the  head 
of  Spruce  Island  witli  a  crash  that  reverberated 
through  the  hills  like  the  roar  of  a  cannon.  The  force 
was  so  great  that  it  completely  knocked  the  platform 
out  of  the  channel  upon  the  head  of  the  island,  without 
damaging  the  big  raft  in  the  least,  so  substantially  had 
it  been  put  together. 

When  the  one  hundred  or  more  astonished  men  on 
the  shore  saw  that  the  hazardous  venture  was  a  suc- 
cess, they  threw  their  hats  in  the  air  and  made  the 
welkin  ring  with  cheer  upon  cheer. 

The  big  raft,  managed  by  its  pilot  and  plucky  crew, 
had  not  only  gone  safely  through  itself,  but  had  com- 
pletely removed  the  obstruction  and  the  channel  was 
open  again  for  rafts,  large  as  well  as  small.  In  the 
dusk  of  the  evening  the  pilot  and  his  crew  landed  their 


Schoolboy  and  Lunihcrrnan  75 

big  raft  safely  in  "Miller's  Dam"  above  Clearfield 
Bridge,  where  they  received  the  hearty  congratulations 
of  the  owner,  Mr.  Chase,  who  was  greatly  rejoiced  that 
his  large  raft  had  passed  Spruce  Island  in  safety. 

Thus,  in  the  primitive  school  of  the  pioneers,  in 
the  lumber-camp,  as  a  teamster,  a  raftsman,  and  a 
river  pilot,  Isaiah  Lafa'yette  Kephart  learned  many 
of  the  lessons  in  the  hard  school  of  personal  experi- 
ence that  gave  him  the  eminent  qualification  for 
life's  later  duties  that  his  useful  life  showed  he  had 
so  well  mastered. 


STUDENT,  MINISTER, 
EDUCATOR 


"Goodness   by   force   is   an   unknown   commodity   in   God's 
universe.    Goodness  can  only  be  by  love,  not  by  force." 


IV. 
STUDENT,  MINISTER,  EDUCATOR 


The  religious  training-  of  Doctor  Kephart  and  the 
influences  that  resulted  in  his  marvelous  career  as 
a  Christian  man  had  their  origin  primarily  in  the 
cabin  home  of  his  father  and  mother.  The  family 
devotions  were  regular,  morning  and  evening,  in 
the  mountain  home,  and  here,  under  the  influence 
of  a  Christian  father  and  a  Christian  mother,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared ;  here  the  seeds 
were  early  planted  that  later  grew  into  the  splendid 
fruitage  of  his  Christian  life. 

The  cabin  home  was  frequently  used  as  a  preach- 
ing-place. Among  the  preachers  who  early  visited 
it  and  preached  the  gospel  was  Adolphus  Harnden, 
a  native  of  the  State  of  Maine  and  an  itinerant  of 
the  Allegheny  Conference.  He  traveled  the  Clear- 
field Circuit,  and  frequently  made  his  home  with  the 
family  of  Father  Kephart.  One  of  the  services  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Harnden  is  described  in  part  as 
follows  by  Doctor  Kephart: 

"After  the  sermon,  he  prayed,  then  sang,  called 
on  some  one  else  to  pray,  sang  again,  exhorted,  got 
happy,  and  began  to  shout.  While  shouting,  swing- 
ing his  long  arms  and  clapping  his  hands,  he  leaped 
back  and  forth  in  the  little  aisle  between  the 
benches  leading  to  the  door,  exclaiming  at  the  top 


80  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

of  his  voice,  'I  hope  to  shout  glory  when  the 
world  's  on  fire,'  and  just  then  he  touched  his  bushy 
head  of  hair  to  the  flame  of  the  hog's-lard  lamp 
hanging  from  the  joist  above  and  set  his  hair  on  fire. 
It  sizzed  and  sputtered  a  little  while,  Harnden 
shouting  all  the  time,  'I  hope  to  shout  glory  when 
the  world  's  on  fire.'  The  flame  in  his  hair  soon  died 
out,  nor  was  he  burned,  but  for  some  time  thereafter 
an  odor  of  burnt  hair  pervaded  the  cabin. 

"In  due  time  the  meeting  closed,  the  mountain- 
eers returned  to  their  homes,  guided  through  the 
wilderness  by  the  light  of  their  torches,  wonder- 
fully impressed  by  the  words  and  manner  of  the 
new  preacher.  He,  in  due  time,  mounted  the  ladder 
to  the  loft  and  was  soon  in  the  embrace  of  a  sound 
sleep  in  the  spare  bed  which  mother's  hand  had 
prepared  for  such  visitors." 

Other  preachers  who  served  the  home  charge 
while  Isaiah  was  a  boy  were  William  Beigle,  Isaac 
Kuhns,  George  Schneider,  C.  F.  Bowers,  W.  S.  H. 
Keyes,  Cyrus  Jeffries,  Harvey  Moor,  Jephthah  Potts, 
J.  Wells,  and  J.  W.  Bonewell ;  but  Isaiah  made  no 
definite  profession  of  the  religious  life  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

A  very  striking  incident  that  occurred  in  the 
November  preceding  his  twentieth  birthday  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind.  He  had  been 
hauling  lumber  and  coal  to  the  market  across  the 
mountains  and  bringing  back  loads  of  store  goods 
for  the  merchants.  Thus  being  thrown  into  the 
society  of  teamsters,  he  was  compelled  to  lodge 
at  taverns,  every  one  of  which  was  a  whisky  shop. 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  81 

Though  cautioned  frequently  of  the  danger  of 
drinking,  these  evil  influences  at  length  acquired 
the  mastery,  and  he  frequently  yielded,  and  at  last 
acquired  an  appetite  for  alcoholic  liquors.  The 
following  is,  in  part,  a  description  of  the  incident 
that  led  to  his  conversion  :  In  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber, 1850,  he,  with  two  other  men,  having  been  east 
of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  was  returning  home. 
It  was  a  beautiful  autumn  afternoon.  His  associates 
were  men  of  perhaps  thirty  years  of  age.  Before 
leaving  "Warrior's  Mark,"  one  of  the  men  with  him 
purchased  a  quart  of  whisky.  As  they  journeyed 
along,  they  drank  several  times  until  they  were  all 
somewhat  intoxicated,  one  of  the  number  quite 
drunk,  Isaiah  and  the  other  just  enough  to  be  reck- 
less. The  front  team  had  six  horses  and  a  wagon 
with  a  large  road-bed.  When  they  commenced  to 
ascend  the  mountain,  the  three  teamsters  climbed 
together  into  the  front  wagon-bed,  and  left  their 
teams  to  follow.  The  road  was  a  narrow  one,  with 
a  high  bank  on  the  left  side.  One-third  the  distance 
up  the  mountain  there  was  a  sharp  turn  in  the  road ; 
the  drivers,  being  engaged  in  romping,  paid  no 
attention  to  the  team,  and  the  wagon  ran  over  the 
edge  of  the  stone  wall  and  overset  off  the  road 
down  a  perpendicular  bank  of  about  five  feet.  In 
oversetting,  the  wagon  turned  upside  down,  threw 
four  of  the  horses  off  the  road,  and  threw  Isaiah 
some  thirty  feet  down  the  mountain  among  the 
rocks  and  brush,  but  he  sustained  no  injury.  One 
of  the  men  was  caught  across  the  small  of  the  back 
by  the  lower  edge  of  the  wagon  bed,  and  the  other 


82  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  KepJiart 

was  caught  by  the  left  foot  and  held  so  firmly  that 
he  could  not  possibly  escape.  Isaiah  tried  his  best 
to  lift  the  box,  but  was  not  able,  as  the  heavy  wagon 
lay  on  top  of  it.  He  took  a  horse  and  rode  back  two 
miles  and  gave  the  alarm,  and  when  he  returned  the 
man  caught  by  the  small  of  the  back  was  dead. 
This  made  an  ineflfaceable  impression  on  Isaiah's 
mind,  and  he  then  and  there  made  two  resolves : 
First,  that  he  would  never  drink  another  dram  of 
intoxicating  liquor;  and,  second,  that  the  first  pro- 
tracted meeting  he  attended  he  would  embrace 
religion  and  join  the  church.  These  resolves  were 
faithfully  kept,  and  during  the  next  March  (1851), 
at  a  meeting  held  in  the  Newcastle  Schoolhouse,  in 
Decatur  Township,  Clearfield  County,  he  was  con- 
verted and  joined  the  United  Brethren  Church 
under  the  labors  of  Rev.  Cyrus  Jefifries,  then  the 
pastor  of  Clearfield  Circuit.  In  August,  1857,  he 
was  given  quarterly  conference  license  to  preach, 
and  in  January,  1859,  at  Altoona,  Pennsylvania, 
was  received  as  a  licensed  preacher  into  the  Alle- 
gheny Conference,  Bishop  Glossbrenner  presiding. 
In  January,  1863,  he  was  ordained  at  a  session  of 
the  same  conference  held  again  in  Altoona,  Bishop 
Edwards  presiding. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  he  embraced  reli- 
gion previous  to  his  work  as  a  lumberman  and 
raftsman.  In  his  accounts  of  his  experiences  as  a 
raftsman,  he  states  that  in  the  crew  with  which  he 
made  the  run  to  Marietta,  previously  described, 
several  were  Christian  young  men,  the  others  being 
men  of  good  morals,  and  that  no  profanity  or  drink- 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  83 

ing  intoxicants  was  practiced  by  any  of  them.  Thus 
early  in  his  life  did  he  yield  himself  to  God,  and 
thus  early  in  his  Christian  experience  did  he  exhibit 
the  characteristics  of  devotion  and  Christian  forti- 
tude that  were  such  marked  elements  in  his  later 
life  of  active  service  for  God  and  the  Church. 

We  must  return  to  look  again  upon  the  school  life 
of  Doctor  Kephart. 

In  an  interview  held  with  Dr.  W.  R.  Funk,  and 
in  answer  to  the  question,  ''Who  influenced  you  to 
go  to  school  ?"  Doctor  Kephart  said :  "My  first 
knowledge  of  there  being  such  a  thing  as  a  college 
came  to  me  in  my  father's  barn  one  day  when 
he  and  I  were  thrashing  seed  wheat  with  the  flail. 
I  was  then  about  twelve  years  old.  Rev.  J.  B. 
Resler,  of  Allegheny  Conference,  came  there  and 
hitched  his  horse  to  the  fence,  and  climbed  over  the 
fence  onto  the  barn  floor.  He  introduced  himself 
to  father  and  commenced  to  talk  in  the  interest  of 
Mt.  Pleasant  College.  Father  leaned  on  the  staff 
of  his  flail  and  listened  to  him.  I  remember  well 
that  he  used  this  argument:  Other  churches  are 
establishing  colleges  in  which  to  educate  their 
children,  and  if  we  do  not  do  so,  our  children  will 
grow  up  and  go  off  to  these  other  schools  and  will, 
of  course,  join  these  other  churches,  and  we  cannot 
succeed  as  a  church  in  that  way.  Then  he  spoke 
to  father  something  about  giving  something  to  help 
this  college,  and  father  said :  'W^ell,  it  is  nearly 
dinner-time  now.  I  will  go  and  put  your  horse  in 
the  stable.  Go  into  the  house,  and  we  will  have 
some  dinner  and  talk  the  matter  over  with  mother.* 


84  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Father  always  honored  mother  as  one  of  his  special 
counselors  in  all  business  affairs.  We  went  to  the 
house,  ate  dinner,  and  turned  around  from  the  table, 
and  they  commenced  to  talk.  Resler  explained  to 
mother  what  he  had  explained  to  father,  and,  as  a 
result  of  their  interview,  they  gave  their  note  for 
$25  to  help  the  college.  Just  how  soon  it  was  paid, 
I  do  not  know,  but  I  know  they  paid  it,  and  that 
their  giving  that  note  raised  quite  a  hubbub  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  neighbors  took  it  up  and  said 
father  and  mother  were  giving  money  to  help  estab- 
lish a  school  to  make  people  proud,  and  one  of  the 
school  trustees  walked  two  miles  to  see  father  and 
lecture  him  for  what  he  had  done.  Father  took  it 
all  good-naturedly,  and  did  not  say  much.  To  make 
an  impression,  the  school  trustee  said :  'Why,  the 
neighbors  are  up  in  arms  about  it.  They  say  you 
are  robbing  and  beggaring  your  children.'  That 
made  mother  a  bit  cross,  and  she  turned  'round 
and  said:  'Well,  I  would  just  thank  the  neighbors 
if  they  would  mind  their  own  business.  Papa  and 
I  gave  that  note,  and  we  will  pay  it,  and  we  will 
not  ask  them  for  anything  to  keep  our  children 
from  being  beggars.'  This  set  me  to  thinking  about 
a  college  and  what  a  college  was.  I  could  read  and 
write  then  a  little." 

The  winter  that  he  and  his  brother,  Bishop  Kep- 
hart, spent  in  the  school  taught  by  Mr.  Hooper,  and 
closing  with  the  great  exhibition  already  mentioned, 
brought  to  them  both  some  new  ideas  as  to  their 
future  life.  This  thought  for  better  things  was 
quickened  by  some  advice  given  to  him  by  a  friendly 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  85 

neighbor,  Mr.  John  Shaw.  Doctor  Kephart  had 
hired  out  to  work  for  a  Mr.  Sterritt.  Concerning 
the  awakening  that  led  to  his  school  life,  he  says, 
referring  to  himself  and  his  brother,  "E.  B." : 

"We  had  not  decided  on  going  to  school  yet.  I 
hired  out  to  a  Mr.  Sterritt,  who  was  running  a  steam 
sawmill,  at  $26  a  month  and  board. 

"One  Saturday  evening,  when  I  was  going  home 
from  my  week's  work,  I  had  to  go  right  back  of 
Mr.  John  Shaw's  place,  and,  'way  down  the  lane  in 
the  direction  I  was  going,  I  fell  in  with  him  and 
walked  back  with  him  as  far  as  his  house.  He 
inquired  what  I  was  doing  and  what  wages  I  was 
getting,  and  said :  'That  is  first-rate ;  better  than 
running  around  here  kicking  up  your  heels,  and 
hunting  and  fishing  like  some  are  doing;  but,  boy, 
take  my  advice.  Save  up  your  money  and  go  to 
school.  You  can  be  more  than  a  mill  hand  if  you 
will  educate  yourself ;  but  if  you  do  not,  you  will 
never  be  more  than  a  mill  hand.' 

"I  walked  home  two  miles,  and  thought  over 
being  nothing  more  than  a  mill  hand.  I  liked  the 
Avork,  but  could  not  think  that  I  must  always  be 
that  kind  of  a  drudge.  When  I  got  home,  'E.  B.' 
was  there.  He  had  a  letter  from  'Billy'  Shaw,  John 
Shaw's  oldest  son,  who  was  in  Dickinson  Seminary, 
at  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania.  His  letter  urged 
us  to  go  to  school.  We  were  tired  and  did  not  talk 
much. 

"The  next  morning,  Sunday,  we  dressed  ourselves 
to  go  to  Sunday  school.  Had  our  breakfast  too 
early  to  go  right  away,  so  we  went  up  to  our  room, 


86  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

sat  on  the  bed,  and  commenced  to  talk.  I  told  him 
what  John  Shaw  had  said,  and  how  I  had  been 
thinking  about  it.  Then  he  pulled  out  'Bill'  Shaw's 
letter  and  read  it.  I  said  to  him  :  'I  believe,  "E.  B.," 
the  time  is  here  to  say  what  we  are  going  to  do. 
Shall  we  stick  to  this  kind  of  mountaineer  life,  or 
strike  out  and  get  a  little  more  education?'  He 
said,  'Yes,  the  time  is  here.'  I  asked  him  what  he 
was  going  to  do,  and  he  replied  that  he  was  going 
to  Dickinson.  I  said  I  would  go,  too,  and  would 
go  down  to  Sterritt  and  tell  him  at  such  a  time  the 
fall  term  Avould  open,  and  that'  he  must  secure  a 
man  to  take  my  place ;  that  I  was  going  to  leave  and 
go  to  school. 

"When  the  time  came  to  go,  we  were  ready.  We 
gave  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sterritt  good-by,  and  borrowed 
Uncle  Joe  Goss'  spring  wagon,  took  one  of  father's 
horses,  and  put  our  trunk  in  that  wagon.  We  drove 
thirty-three  miles  across  the  mountains  to  Belle- 
fonte,  where  we  put  up  at  the  hotel,  stayed  all  night, 
and  the  next  morning  Brother  Will,  who  was  then 
ten  years  old,  (and  was  afterwards  killed  in  the  army,) 
started  back  home  with  the  wagon  and  horse.  We 
took  the  stage  down  to  Lock  Haven,  and  then  the 
canal  boat  to  Williamsport.  'Bill'  Shaw  was  there 
and  met  us,  and  we  started  into  school,  the  greenest 
kind  of  mountain  boys,  but  we  had  had  experience. 

"Dickinson  Seminary  stood  right  on  the  bank  of 
the  Susquehanna  River.  We  just  buckled  into  it. 
We  did  not  try  to  conceal  our  ignorance,  but  let  the 
students  know  that  we  were  there  to  try  to  learn. 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  87 

The  teachers  kindly  took  hold  and  helped  us.    We 
learned ;  there  is  no  mistake  about  it. 

"Well,  we  got  through  that  term  of  school  and 
came  home.  'E.  B.'  and  I  walked  ten  miles  to  be 
examined.  The  county  superintendent,  who  deliv- 
ered the  address  at  the  exhibition,  gave  us  an 
examination.  He  complimented  us,  saying:  Tt  is 
a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  have  a  class  who  are 
capable  of  passing  an  examination  as  you  boys  have 
passed.  I  want  to  give  you  all  the  encouragement 
I  can.'  He  gave  us  our  dinner,  and  asked  not  a 
cent.  We  walked  ten  miles  back  home.  At  nine 
o'clock  we  got  home.  We  each  obtained  a  school  in 
which  to  teach,  and  then  made  some  money  rafting, 
and  used  it  as  school  money. 

"When  we  came  home  from  Dickinson  Seminary, 
Rev.  Adolphus  Harnden  was  at  our  place.    He  said, 
'You  boys  are  not  doing  right.'     'What  have  we 
done  wrong?'  we  asked.     'You  have  been  going  to 
a  Methodist  sdhool.-  Why  don't  you  go  to  our  own 
school?'    'Where  is  our  own  school?'    He  then  told  t 
us.     The'  next  spring  we  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant  Col-  . 
lege — that  is,  the  spring  of  1857,  and  stayed  there  \ 
until    that    school    closed.      At    a    session    of    the 
trustees,  in  June,  they  united  with  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity, and  eleven  of  us  boys  went  there  as  stu- 
dents, among  whom  were  D.  Eberly,  E.  C.  Ebersole, 
D.  A.  Tawney,  S.  J.  Baker,  H.  M.  Kreider,  John 
Erb,  my  brother  'E.  B.,'  and  myself." 

While  a  student  at  Otterbein,  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Philophronean  Literary  Society 
as  a  charter  member. 


88  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

During  his  student  life  he  entered  actively  into 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  His  first  charge  was 
Mahoning  Circuit,  Allegheny  Conference,  to  which 
he  was  assigned  by  the  conference  of  1859.  The 
circuit  lay  in  three  counties — Clearfield,  Indiana, 
and  Cambria.  His  own  account  of  this  year's  work 
is  interesting: 

"The  appointments  were  as  follows :  Kessler's 
(in  a  church-house),  two  miles  above  the  cherry- 
tree,  Sunday,  10:30  a.m.;  Summerville  (in  a  school- 
house),  distance  five  miles,  same  Sunday,  2:30  p.m.; 
McKee's  (in  a  church-house),  same  Sunday,  dis- 
tance four  miles,  7:00  p.m.;  Jos.  Ow's  (in  Brother 
Ow's  private  house),  Wednesday  evening,  distance 
ten  miles;  Levi  Laymaster's  (in  'his  private  house), 
near  Marion,  Indiana  County,  distance  about  ten 
miles,  Thursday  evening;  John  Laymaster's  or  John 
Snyder's  (in  private  house),  Friday  evening,  dis- 
tance about  twelve  miles;  McGee's  (schoolhouse), 
distance  eighteen  miles,  Sunday,  10:30  a.m.;  Mount 
Joy  (church-house),  Sunday,  2:30  p.m.,  distance 
five  miles;  Simon  Raudabaugh's  (schoolhouse), 
Sunday,  7:00  p.m.,  distance  eight  miles;  Charley 
Smith's  (private  house),  Wednesday  evening,  dis- 
tance three  miles;  Newburg  (meeting-house),  Sun- 
day, 10:30  a.m.,  distance  eight  miles;  Koozer's 
(schoolhouse),  Sunday,  2:30  p.m.,  distance  seven 
miles;  Pleasant  Hill  (schoolhouse),  7: 00  p.m.,  dis- 
tance six  miles ;  from  thence  returning  to  Kessler's, 
distance  twenty-five  miles,  to  beginning  of  next 
round.  From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  I  had 
thirteen  appointments ;  that  to  fill  them  I  preached 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  89 

three  times  each  Sunday  and  four  times  on  week- 
day evenings ;  that  I  filled  these  appointments  once 
every  three  weeks,  and  in  doing  so  I  traveled  (on 
horseback)  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  miles. 

''I  had  no  regular  home — just  boarded  among  the 
members,  all  of  whom  were  very  kind  and  accorded 
me  a  royal  welcome  to  their  homes.  I  carried  my 
books  and  linen  in  a  pair  of  huge  saddlebags. 

"At  my  quarterly  meeting,  in  June,  held  at  the 
Kessler  appointment,  I  resigned  my  charge  to  take 
effect  September  1,  for  the  purpose  of  returning  to 
Otterbein  University.  Rev.  Adolphus  Harnden 
succeeded  me  on  the  charge.  Rev.  R.  G.  Rankin 
was  presiding  elder.  From  a  memorandum  kept,  I 
find  that  up  to  my  second  quarterly  meeting,  held 
June  6,  1859,  I  had  received  in  salary  and  presents 
(all  cash  except  a  vest  valued  at  $3.25),  a  total  of 
$23.15.  How  much  I  received  from  that  time  until 
the  first  of  September,  w^hen  my  resignation  took 
effect,  I  can  now  find  no  account  of,  but  I  suppose 
it  was  in  about  the  same  proportion — perhaps  not 
quite  so  much,  as  that  was  the  season  of  the  year 
when  money  among  the  lumbermen  was  scarce. 

"The  region  of  country  in  which  my  circuit  lay 
was  mostly  a  wilderness  of  pine  and  hemlock  forest, 
steep  hills,  and  deep  ravines,  and  the  roads  were 
stumpy,  rooty,  rocky,  and  often  quite  muddy." 

The  fall  of  1859,  he  entered  Otterbein  University, 
remaining  there,  stopping  out  as  his  financial  needs 
required,  till  the  summer  of  1861,  when,  his  money 
being  exhausted,  he  returned  to  the  Allegheny  Con- 


90  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

ference,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  Brush  Valley 
Circuit.  He  continued  in  the  active  ministry  till 
1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  having  served 
Brush  Valley,  East  Salem,  and  McVeytown  charges. 

During  his  pastorate  on  the  Brush  Valley  charge, 
he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  E. 
Sowers,  the  daug'hter  of  Michael  Sowers  and 
Suzanna  Grumbling  Sowers,  of  Mechanicsville, 
Pennsylvania,  to  whom  he  was  married  November 
28,  1861.  To  them  were  born  two  children,  Horace 
Sowers,  who  was  educated  at  Western  College, 
Lebanon  Valley  College,  and  Cornell  University. 
He  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  librarian  of  the 
Mercantile  Library  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  is 
now  residing  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  engaged  in 
literary  pursuits. 

Elizabeth  Belle  was  born  February  18,  1871,  and 
died  February  22,  1892.  She  was  graduated  from 
Westfield  College  in  June,  1890. 

Following  his  services  in  the  army,  in  1865,  he 
taught  school  for  several  months,  when  he  was 
appointed  pastor  of  the  Hummelstown  charge,  in 
the  East  Pennsylvania  Conference,  where  he  served 
till  the  fall  of  1867. 

His  ministry  at  Hummelstown  was  to  himself  a 
source  of  great  pleasure,  and  to  the  people  a  source  of 
great  profit.  It  was  here  that  he  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  his  life-long  friend,  Mr.  D.  S.  Early.  He  was 
the  first  pastor  of  the  charge  who  could  not  speak  or 
understand  the  German  language,  which  rendered  his 
ministry  quite  an  innovation  in  this  community  that 
was  so  thoroughly  Pennsylvania  German.    Mrs.  Kath- 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  91 

erine  L.  Hummel,  who  was  at  the  time  of  his  ministry 
there  a  child  of  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  says : 

"He  was  a  great  success,  having,  during  the  second 
year  of  his  pastorate,  a  large  revival  and  afterward  re- 
ceiving many  into  the  church,  some  of  whom  are  still 
here,  faithful  and  true.  He  instilled  into  the  young 
people  a  desire  for  education  and  for  Bible  study,  and 
my  childish  impression  of  him  was  that  he  was  an 
ideal  Christian  minister  and  pastor,  helpful  to  the  old 
and  always  mindful  of  the  children — an  impression 
that  increased  as  the  years  passed  on. 

"He  spent  considerable  time  in  our  home  and  was 
always  welcome  there.  My  father  (Christian  Landis) 
and  D.  S.  Early  were  church  officials  at  that  time,  but 
are  both  gone." 

Miss  Minerva  J.  Early,  daughter  of  Mr.  D.  S.  Early, 
above  named,  says  of  his  ministry : 

"I  was  so  very  young  when  Doctor  Kephart  was  our 
pastor  that  I  can  only  give  the  impressions  he  made 
upon  my  young  life  at  that  period,  and  repeat  some  of 
the  incidents  that  I  often  heard  father  relate,  for  father 
was  very  closely  allied  with  him  while  he  was  pastor 
at  Hummelstown. 

"He  was  the  first  man  to  meet  him  when  he  arrived 
with  his  family,  and  our  home  was  their  abode  until  a 
suitable  parsonage  could  be  secured.  I  frequently 
heard  them  say  that  they  were  instantly  and  mutually 
attracted  to  each  other,  and  the  friendship  formed 
there  endured  while  both  lived. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kephart  Avere  often  in  our  home 
during  those  years,  and  every  word  and  act  of  his  im- 
pressed upon  my  young  mind  thoughts  of  nobility  and 


92  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

real  greatness  ;  so  that  for  years,  whenever  I  was  asked 
to  express  my  thought  of  what  men  should  be,  I  would 
always  reply,  'Mr.  Kephart  is  my  ideal  man.' 

"My  earliest  recollection  of  him  is  when  he  laid  his 
hand  in  baptism  upon  the  heads  of  five  little  girls — 
ranging  in  age  from  two  to  twelve  years — as  they 
stood  in  a  row  in  the  old  parlor ;  and  of  the  way,  after 
it  was  all  over,  he  said,  oh,  so  seriously,  but  with  a 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  'Now,  girls,  in  a  few  more  years 
you  will  again  need  a  minister  to  perform  an  important 
ceremony,  and  you  must  remember  that  I  can  do  that, 
too.'  And  in  all  seriousness  we  all  declared  that  he 
should  ever  have  right  of  way  in  all  our  planning. 

"When  he  was  sent  to  Hummelstown,  his  coming 
was  anticipated  with  trembling.  The  people  had  been 
accustomed  to  German  preaching,  and  not  to  be  able 
to  preach  German  was  regarded  by  many  as  a  serious 
fault,  and  a  prophecy  of  failure.  But  there  were  a  few 
who  recognized  the  tendency  of  the  times,  and  gave 
him  a  cordial  welcome  and  all  possible  support. 

"To  one  of  his  temperament  and  culture,  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs  must  have  been  very  discouraging.  The 
church  was  heavily  in  debt  and  there  was  a  woeful 
lack  both  of  reverence  for  God's  house  and  respect  for 
his  people. 

"Many  of  the  leading  members  were  the  real  old- 
fashioned  shouting  Christians,  and  the  noisy  and  some- 
times almost  dramatic  meetings  attracted  many  who 
came  simply  for  amusement.  While  the  shouting  was 
going  on  at  the  front,  the  young  people  in  the  rear 
were  having  a  social  evening.  This  action  had  been 
going  on  until  Mr.  Kephart  could  stand  it  no  longer, 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  93 

and,  going  to  Mr.  D.  S.  Early,  who  was  ever  his  right- 
hand  man,  he  made  known  his  distress.  The  latter,  in 
his  characteristic  earnestness,  replied,  'I  will  break  it 
up  for  you,  if  you  will  stand  by  me  in  my  methods.' 
When  he  stated  his  rather  heroic  measures,  Mr.  Kep- 
hart  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  replied,  'The 
occasion  demands  something  of  that  kind.    Go  ahead.' 

"The  following  Sunday  it  was  announced  from  the 
pulpit  that  all  such  conduct  must  cease ;  that  the  warn- 
ing was  positive,  and  that  exposure  would  follow  its 
disregard.  Thereafter  Mr.  Early  was  a  secret  detec- 
tive in  the  rear  of  the  room,  and  many  an  amusing 
incident  would  he  relate  in  after  years  of  his  expe- 
rience in  that  work. 

"When  the  meetings  would  grow  noisy,  those  in  the 
rear  seats  seemed  to  think  it  a  signal  for  action,  but 
were  startled  by  a  call  to  the  front  from  the  detective. 
The  pastor  at  once  stayed  all  proceedings,  and  the 
guilty  ones  were  exposed  and  invited  to  leave.  When 
the  coarser  element  found  that  the  church  was  deter- 
mined in  its  purpose,  the  trouble  ceased  and  the  pastor 
commanded  increased  respect  and  love. 

"The  church  debt,  too,  was  canceled  in  a  no  less 
unusual  manner.  The  debt  was  of  long  standing,  and 
there  was  such  'slothfulness  in  business'  that  the  inter- 
est was  unpaid  from  year  to  year.  Mr.  Kephart 
appointed  D.  S.  Early,  Christian  Landis,  Simon 
Fleisher,  and  Samuel  Walmer  a  committee  to  collect 
the  debt,  which  amounted  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
When  they  met  to  talk  over  the  situation,  Mr.  Early 
remarked,  'We  must  each  subscribe  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  with  that  at  the  head  of  the  subscription  we 


94  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

can  go  out  and  get  the  rest  of  it  this  afternoon.'  Mr. 
Walmer  replied,  'We  can  never  do  it,  Brother  Early; 
but  I  will  gladly  give  my  hundred  dollars,  and  will 
tear  my  hat  if  we  get  the  rest  to-day.'  The  others  of 
the  committee  manfully  followed  in  like  manner,  and 
all  together  they  started  out  on  their  mission. 

"Their  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  was  so  intense 
that  they  had  but  one  refusal  that  day,  and  when  they 
returned  home  at  night  the  debt  was  fully  covered. 
Mr.  Walmer's  joy  was  unbounded,  and  he  actually 
tore  his  hat  into  ribbons. 

"Thus  the  dreaded  English  preacher  set  the  church 
upon  a  sure  foundation,  that  has  stood,  and  still  is 
standing,  notwithstanding  many  a  storm." 

In  the  fall  of  1867,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he 
removed  to  what  was  then  known  as  New  Jefferson, 
in  Green  County,  Iowa,  where  he  began  farming  in  a 
small  way,  and  was  soon  elected  principal  of  the  Jeffer- 
son schools.  After  teaching  for  some  time,  in  1869  he 
was  elected  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  which 
position  he  occupied  till  1871,  when  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Natural  Science  in  Western  College, 
located  at  Western,  Iowa,  which  position  he  filled  with 
eminent  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  In  1875  he  served 
as  mayor  of  Western.  While  in  the  college  he  very 
frequently  corresponded  with  local  papers  and  with 
the  Church  periodicals,  setting  forth  the  claims  of  the 
institution  and  the  value  of  higher  Christian  education. 

He  resigned  his  position  at  Western  in  1876,  and 
accepted  the  position  of  Actuary  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Mutual  Aid  Society  at  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania, 
and  also  that  of  editor  of  their  journal.    He  held  this 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  95 

position  until  December,  1883,  when  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Science  at  San  Joaquin 
College,  Woodbridge,  California,  where  he  entered 
upon  his  duties  in  the  January  following. 

During  his  service  as  Actuary  at  Lebanon  he  wrote 
extensively  for  both  the  religious,  the  secular,  and  the 
scientific  press. 

Concerning  his  life  and  work  during  this  period,  Mr. 
George  B.  Marquardt,  of  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  an 
intimate  friend,  says: 

"I  knew  your  brother  'L  L.'  well,  having  worked  in 
the  same  building  with  him  for  many  years.  I  knew 
him  and  loved  him  for  the  purity  of  his  life,  for  his 
kindly  deeds,  for  his  gentlemanly  and  courteous  treat- 
ment of  friend  and  foe,  for  his  humble,  pious.  Chris- 
tian bearing,  and  for  the  good  influences  he  exerted 
while  here  in  this  city. 

"While  a  member  of  Trinity  Church  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  Christian  work.  Rarely  did  he  miss  a 
service.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at  all  the  means 
of  grace ;  very  actively  and  deeply  interested  in  every 
department  of  church  work,  and  regular  at  the  prayer- 
meeting,  Sunday  school,  and  church  services.  While 
he  was  intellectually  competent  to  speak  to  large  and 
cultured  audiences,  yet  he  consented,  and  for  many 
years  taught  in  our  Sabbath  school  a  class  of  restless 
boys  of  tender  age,  all  of  whom  to-day  hold  him  in 
precious  memory.  While  here  engaged  in  secular 
matters,  he  found  time  to  do  much  preaching  in  filling 
pulpits  for  sick  or  absent  preachers.  On  Saturday  he 
would  travel,  at  times,  great  distances  to  fill  the  pulpit 
of  some  sick  pastor  on  the  following  Sunday,  and  he 


96  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

would  invariably  refuse  any  compensation  for  his 
service  or  for  his  traveling  expenses. 

''He  was  also  an  ardent  advocate  of  temperance  and 
did  much  to  create  public  sentiment  against  the  drink 
habit.  He  was  always  outspoken  on  the  subject  of 
intemperance  and  frequently  spoke  in  public,  as  well 
as  in  private,  against  the  license  system.  He  was  a  foe 
to  that  system  that  would  license  one  man  to  ruin 
another.  You  cannot  speak  too  strongly  of  these 
qualities  of  his  life  while  here  in  Lebanon. 

"When  absent  from  his  own  church  he  was  doing 
service  for  others.  I  never  saw  your  brother  out  of 
patience  for  anything  in  all  of  the  many  years  that  I 
knew  him." 

It  was  during  this  period  that  he  prepared  an  article 
on  "Soul  Culture"  that  he  was  requested  to  permit  to 
be  read  before  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters,  and  Art 
of  London,  and  that  led  to  his  having  conferred  upon 
him,  gratuitously,  the  degree  of  Fellow  of  the  Society 
of  Science,  Letters,  and  Art,  in  1888. 

At  the  General  Conference  that  convened  at  Fos- 
toria,  Ohio,  in  May,  1885,  Doctor  Kephart  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Church  Commission  for  the  revision 
of  the  Constitution  and  the  Confession  of  Faith  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church. 

He  continued  his  work  in  San  Joaquin  College, 
Woodbridge,  California,  till  June,  1885,  when  he  re- 
signed his  position  to  return  East. 

When  it  became  known  to  the  students  at  Wood- 
bridge  that  Doctor  Kephart  had  presented  his  resigna- 
tion, a  petition  was  prepared  and  signed  by  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  students,  expressing  their  high 


Student,  Minister,  Educator  97 

appreciation  of  his  work  and  urging  him  to  reconsider 
his  action  and  remain  with  the  institution. 

On  his  way  from  California  he  received  information 
that  he  had  been  elected  president  of  Westfield  College, 
Westfield,  Illinois,  where  he  served  as  president  till 
June,  1889,  resigning  the  position  to  enter  upon  his 
duties  as  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  to  which 
position  he  was  elected  by  the  General  Conference  that 
met  in  May,  1889. 

Following  his  resignation  at  Westfield,  the  Clark 
County  Herald  said :  "The  college  has  prospered 
greatly  under  President  Kephart's  wise  rule,  and  his 
resignation  will  be  a  severe  blow  to  the  institution." 

In  recognition  of  his  attainments  in  scholarship  and 
letters  and  of  his  service  in  promoting  the  work  of  the 
Church  and  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  Doctor  Kephart 
was  honored  by  the  bestowal  of  the  following  degrees : 

In  June,  1872,  Otterbein  University  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  In  June,  1884, 
Western  College,  now  Leander  Clark  College,  honored 
him  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  On  August 
14,  1888,  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters,  and  Art  of 
London  elected  him  a  Fellow  of  that  society,  and  con- 
ferred upon  him,  gratuitously,  the  degree  of  F.  S.  S. 
L.  A.  and  sent  him  a  diploma  to  that  efifect. 

That  these  marks  of  honor  and  distinction  were 
worthily  and  appropriately  bestowed  is  well  attested 
by  the  eminent  attainments  of  Doctor  Kephart  in  all 
lines  of  literary,  scientific,  and  theological  investiga- 
tion and  by  his  long  and  eminent  service  in  behalf  of 
everything  that  tends  to  the  promotion  of  the  well 
being  of  human  society. 


CHRISTIAN  PATRIOT 


"Our  God  is  a  living  God.     He  is  the  source  whence  flow 
the  living  waters.     He  satisfies  the  longing  soul." 


V. 
CHRISTIAN  PATRIOT 


On  February  18,  1862,  in  an  article  under  the 
heading,  "The  War,  Its  Cause,  and  the  Results  That 
Must  Follow,"  Rev.  I.  L,  Kephart  made  the  following- 
remarkable  prediction : 

"Men  may  say  what  they  please  about  the  war — the 
omnipotent  God  is  in  it  and  is  wielding  his  power  upon 
the  side  of  constitutional  liberty.  Politicians  may  talk 
of  the  constitutionality  of  slavery — all  this  will  not 
alter  the  fiat  of  Jehovah. 

"Slavery's  days  are  numbered!  I  believe,  and  I  will 
not  believe  otherwise  till  I  see  otherwise,  that  this  war 
is  its  death  blow,  and  the  noise  and  excitement  it 
has  produced  are  Slavery's  dying  groans  and  death 
struggle.  I  hear  in  the  roar  of  the  cannon  the  dying 
groans  of  oppression,  and  I  see  in  the  convulsed  state 
of  the  whole  country  the  death  struggle  of  the  blackest 
system  of  tyranny  that  has  ever  cursed  the  world.  I 
see  in  this  war  the  mustering  of  all  the  forces  opposed 
to  universal  freedom — that  they  may  'confederate'  and 
be  broken,  that  we  and  succeeding  generations  may 
sing  forever,  'Hail  Columbia  !   Happy  Land  !' 

"This  war  may  seem  to  be  a  calamity,  and  so  it  is  at 
present,  but  the  good  that  must  result  from  it  to  the 
cause  of  humanity  will  far  overbalance  all  its  evils. 
When  once  the  rebellion  is  crushed,  and  it  soon  will  be, 
and  the  sin  of  slavery  forever  wiped  from  our  nation, 


102  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

the  political  atmosphere  will  be  purer,  freemen  will 
breathe  more  freely,  and  the  lovers  of  liberty  will  look 
back  upon  the  past  and  thank  God  that  the  fanatics  of 
the  South  became  so  foolhardy  as  to  attempt  to  break 
up  the  Union.  Let  no  man,  or  set  of  men,  lay  to  the 
charge  of  any  war-party  or  faction  the  origin  of  this 
war.  It  was  a  necessity.  The  advocates  of  tyranny 
thought  to  strengthen  their  cause  by  seceding,  but,  to 
their  dismay,  will  soon  learn  that  it  was  the  decree  of 
Jehovah — that  by  this  unwise  and  rash  act  they  should 
work  with  the  utmost  dispatch,  the  final  ruin  of  their 
'peculiar'  institution." 

Such  a  prophecy  is  sufficient  to  show  that  Doctor 
Kephart  was  an  intense  patriot,  a  fact  fully  established 
by  his  devotion  to  his  work  in  the  army  and  by  his 
speeches  and  writings  since  the  war. 

In  June,  1863,  in  answer  to  the  call  for  troops  for 
the  defense  of  Pennsylvania  against  the  raid  led  by 
General  Robert  E.  Lee,  while  serving  as  pastor  of 
McVeytown  charge,  Allegheny  Conference,  he  volun- 
teered in  the  United  States  service,  and  was  mus- 
tered in  as  chaplain  of  the  Twenty-first  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry,  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  the  enlistment 
being  for  six  months.  Company  "B"  of  his  regiment 
had  been  previously  enlisted  at  Gettysburg,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  great  battle  there,  and  the  first  man 
killed  in  that  battle  was  John  Sando,  of  that  company. 

The  circumstances  leading  up  to  his  being  chosen 
chaplain  illustrate  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
man.  For  this,  and  many  more  of  the  facts  given  in 
this  chapter,  we  are  indebted  to  Rev.  M.  P.  Doyle,  an 
intimate  associate  during  his  armv  life. 


Christian  Patriot  103 

When  he  enlisted  it  was  his  intention  to  enter  the 
service  in  whatever  relation  he  was  directed.  When  he 
reached  Harrisburg  he  was  tacitly  promised  a  second 
lieutenancy,  but  when  it  came  to  mustering  in  it  was 
found  that  there  were  not  sufficient  men  in  the  group 
with  which  he  was  associated  to  form  a  full  company. 
At  this  point  he  met  Mr.  H.  B.  Jeffries,  with  sixteen 
men,  who  had  been  mustered  out  of  a  three  months' 
company  of  which  Jeffries  was  captain,  but  who 
wished  to  enter  the  United  States  service  as  cavalry- 
men. Mr.  Kephart  induced  Mr.  Jeffries,  with  his  men, 
to  join  his  company,  offering  him  the  opportunity, 
which  had  been  presented  to  himself,  of  becoming 
second  lieutenant.  Mr.  M.  P.  Doyle,  first  lieutenant, 
being  impressed  with  Mr.  Kephart's  self-denying  spirit 
in  making  this  sacrifice  for  the  service,  conferred  with 
Col.  William  H.  Boyd,  and  at  his  suggestion  conferred 
with  the  other  officers  of  the  regiment,  and  Mr.  Kep- 
hart was  unanimously  chosen  chaplain.  Mr.  Doyle 
says :  "So  the  man  who  humbled  himself  was  exalted 
above  us  all  in  rank  and  pay,  with  the  opportunity  of 
rendering  better  and  more  efficient  service  to  his  coun- 
try than  he  could  have  done  as  a  private  soldier  or  a 
company  officer." 

The  hurry  to  get  twelve  hundred  men  and  twelve 
hundred  horses  uniformed  and  equipped  left  but  little 
time  for  religious  meetings.  The  chaplain  was  left  to 
himself  to  use  his  office  to  the  benefit  of  the  men  as 
best  possible,  but  on  account  of  the  hurry  could  do  but 
very  little  religious  work.  When  the  regiment  was 
filled  and  equipped,  it  was  ordered  to  march  to  Cham- 
bersburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  it  was  divided  into  two 


104  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

battalions.  The  colonel,  with  several  companies,  went 
into  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  six  companies  were 
ordered  to  the  coal  regions  of  Pennsylvania  to  subdue 
uprisings  among  the  disloyal  there.  The  chaplain  was 
directed  to  go  with  this  last  detachment.  They  were 
ordered  to  Pottsville  and  finally  to  Scranton,  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which  place  they  were  to  control  the  entire 
region.  They  remained  there  during  the  fall  and  most 
of  the  winter.  Mr.  Doyle  says :  "This  gave  Chaplain 
Kephart  an  excellent  opportunity  to  exercise  the  func- 
tions of  his  office.  He  preached  every  Sabbath ;  gave 
personal  counsel  to  the  men ;  held  prayer-meetings  in 
tents ;  wrote  letters,  attended  to  mail,  and  rendered 
himself  useful  in  every  possible  way.  He  was  greatly 
assisted  by  the  officers  of  Company  'E,'  which  was 
composed  mostly  of  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
and  Evangelical  churches  and  officered  by  three  minis- 
ters. It  was  interesting  to  see  this  Company  'E'  every 
evening  after  roll-call  conclude  with  prayer  offered  by 
the  chaplain  or  one  of  the  company  officers. 

"As  an  illustration  of  the  esteem  in  which  Chaplain 
Kephart  was  held  by  the  colonel  commanding,  I  will 
give  an  incident  of  much  significance.  One  of  the  cap- 
tains of  this  detachment  was  very  overbearing  and 
unreasonable.  One  day,  while  drilling  his  company, 
his  lieutenant  executed  the  command  and  almost  com- 
pelled some  of  the  horses  and  men  to  gallop  into  the 
Lackawanna  River  for  want  of  room.  The  captain 
drew  his  revolver  and  threatened  to  shoot  his  lieuten- 
ant. The  case  was  presented  to  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Mosan,  commanding,  who  plainly  told  the  captain  that 
his  conduct  was  unbecoming  an  officer  and  if  he  did  not 


Dr.  Ktpliart  as  an  Army  Chaplain. 


Christian  Patriot  105 

settle  the  difficulty  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  lieutenant 
he  would  be  court-martialed.  The  colonel  sent  an 
orderly  for  the  chaplain,  stated  the  case  to  him,  and 
told  him  to  use  his  best  influence  to  have  the  case 
amicably  settled,  as  he  was  determined  that  no  one  of 
his  officers  should  impose  upon  another.  The  chaplain, 
after  talking  over  the  affair  with  the  offending  captain, 
took  him  and  the  two  lieutenants  into  an  adjoining 
woods  and  asked  all  to  kneel  in  prayer.  I  was  present 
at  this  prayer ;  it  was  offered  with  feeling  and  humble 
faith  and  made  us  all  see  the  way  of  God.  Then  it  was 
ended.  The  captain  and  lieutenant  shook  hands  with 
kindly  feeling.  This  was  certainly  a  rare  way  of  end- 
ing trouble  between  military  men,  but  it  speaks  highly 
of  the  esteem  in  which  our  chaplain  was  held  by  the 
colonel  and  the  officers.  Captain  H.  B.  Jeffries,  now 
of  the  National  Tribune,  Washington,  D.  C,  also  wit- 
nessed this  incident." 

In  February,  1864,  the  regiment  was  reorganized  for 
three  years'  service,  at  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  June  1,  1864. 
The  regiment  served  in  the  first  division  of  the  Fifth 
Army  Corps,  dismounted  till  October  6,  1864,  and  was 
then  remounted  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war. 

Concerning  the  reorganization  at  Chambersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  dismounting  of  the  regiment. 
Rev.  M.  P.  Doyle  says : 

"On  arriving  at  Chambersburg,  all  horses  and  equip- 
ments were  turned  over  to  the  Government  and  the 
men  were  honorably  discharged ;  and  those  who  re- 
enlisted  received  furloughs  for  thirty  days.  Chaplain 
Kephart  and  myself,  for  some  reason,  were  not  mus- 


106  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

tered  out  of  the  service.  I  was  placed  in  charge  of  a 
special  detail  of  men  to  care  for  the  horses,  and  he  was 
instructed  to  act  among  the  new  regiments.  Of  the 
thirty-six  officers  who  were  mustered  into  the  service 
at  the  first  formation  of  the  regiment,  Chaplain  Kep- 
hart and  myself  were  the  only  ones  retained  in  the 
reorganization  who  did  not  recruit  men.  One  day, 
while  the  chaplain  and  myself  were  together,  Colonel 
William  H.  Boyd  approached  us  and  said :  'Gentle- 
men, my  regiment  is  now  completely  reorganized.  It 
is  a  splendid  body  of  twelve  hundred  men,  fully 
equipped.  I  am  expecting  to  be  ordered  to  the  front 
at  any  moment.  I  want  you  gentlemen  to  accompany 
me  in  the  brilliant  dash  we  shall  make.  Chaplain  Kep- 
hart, you  have  been  an  honorable  and  efficient  officer 
and  a  credit  to  the  entire  body  of  army  chaplains.  I 
suppose  you  will  be  satisfied  with  your  present  rank 
and  position.  You  will  have  a  more  active  service 
than  heretofore,  and  your  service  among  the  wounded 
will  be  more  useful  than  ever ;  and  you,  Lieutenant 
Doyle,  must  be  satisfied  with  your  present  rank.  You 
are  assigned  to  Company  'I,'  which  will  need  much 
discipline.  I  regret  that  I  cannot  give  you  a  captaincy, 
for  Captain  McMillen  has  recruited  the  men  of  the 
entire  company  and  is  elected  captain.' 

"To  this  the  chaplain  and  myself  assented  with  pleas- 
ure and  gratitude.  On  that  day  we  were  both  mustered 
out  of  the  former  service  and  mustered  into  the  three- 
year  service  with  rank  dating  from  our  original  muster. 

"It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  May  that  the  Twenty- 
first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  was  ordered  to  the  front. 
During  our  stay  in  camp  every  hour  was  spent  in  drill- 


Christian  Patriot  107 

ing  and  saber  exercises.  During  this  interval  the 
chaplain  was  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season.  He 
went  from  company  to  company,  from  man  to  man. 
In  view  of  the  near  approach  of  the  battle-field,  there 
was  an  inward  consciousness  of  the  danger  and  the 
possibility  of  appearing  in  the  presence  of  God.  Let 
no  one  think  that  our  enlightened  American  soldiers 
ignored  these  truths.  Our  faithful  chaplain  sought  to 
inculcate  and  impress  these  convictions  upon  their 
minds,  and  when  the  order  to  march  came,  one  of  the 
finest  regiments  that  ever  honored  the  great  State  of 
Pennsylvania  marched  forth  to  do  battle  for  their 
country. 

"One  of  the  elements  of  strength  was  the  deep  con- 
viction of  religious  truths  impressed  upon  every  man's 
mind  by  the  consecrated  servant  of  Christ  whose  de- 
voted personal  efforts,  backed  by  Christian  life,  read 
and  seen  by  every  officer  and  man,  gave  the  entire 
force  a  strength  of  character,  a  finish  in  discipline  and 
manly  bearing  that  distinguished  the  Twenty-first 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry  among  the  many  brave  regi- 
ments sent  out  by  the  State.  It  afterwards  made  the 
record  of  never  having  been  defeated,  never  compelled 
to  retreat,  and  lost  more  men  in  action  than  any  other 
cavalry  regiment  in  the  army,  as  proved  by  statistics 
given  at  our  first  reunion  at  Gettysburg  after  the  war. 

"In  this  feeling  of  manly  pride,  this  regiment  of 
twelve  companies,  well  equipped  and  mounted,  with 
field  and  staff  officers,  marched  through  the  city  of 
Washington  to  Camp  Stoneman  on  the  Maryland 
Heights.  Scarcely  had  they  entered  Camp  Stoneman 
before  an  order  came  to  dismount  the   Twenty-first 


108  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Pennsylvania  Cavalry  and  forward  the  horses  to  the 
front  for  artillery  and  send  the  regiment  to  Arlington, 
Virginia,  to  be  equipped  as  infantry.  No  one  can 
judge  the  dissatisfaction  this  worked  in  the  hearts  and 
feelings  of  every  member  of  the  regiment,  from  the 
highest  in  command  to  the  lowest  in  the  rear  ranks. 
The  feeling  was  equal  to  rebellion ;  consequently,  no 
one  felt  like  obeying  this  order.  It  was  executed,  how- 
ever, in  a  most  effectual  manner.  The  men  were 
ordered  to  march  out  of  Camp  Stoneman,  leaving  their 
horses  at  the  picket-line  as  if  it  were  only  for  dis- 
mounted drill,  but  the  march  entered  Washington  and 
through  the  city  toward  the  Virginia  line.  When  it 
was  discovered  that  this  was  the  final  disposal  of  the 
men,  a  scene  occurred  which  beggars  description.  All 
discipline  was  lost ;  the  men  broke  ranks,  invaded  the 
sidewalks,  whooped  and  yelled  like  Indians.  Fortu- 
nately no  one  attempted  to  improve  the  discipline.  Any 
such  effort  would  have  met  with  resistance,  for  the 
men  carried  their  carbines  and  sabers.  There  was  not 
an  officer  of  the  regiment  who  felt  like  attempting  to 
command.  Colonel  Wm.  H.  Boyd,  who  was  active  in 
the  valley,  but  ordered  to  Washington  to  command  his 
regiment  in  person,  met  us  on  the  march  through  the 
city  to  Arlington.  When  he  appeared,  the  men  rushed 
toward  him  yelling  like  savages,  without  reason  or 
respect.  The  field  and  line  officers  gathered  around 
him  in  silent  salute.  The  colonel  spoke  not  a  word,  but 
wept  like  a  child.  His  first  utterance  was,  'Chaplain,  I 
did  not  think,  when  I  invited  you  to  the  brilliant  dash 
in  the  enemy's  field,  that  we  should  be  treated  in  this 
manner.'    To  this  statement  there  was  no  answer.    We 


Christian  Patriot  109 

marched  through  Washington,  across  the  long  bridge 
into  Virginia,  and  were  quartered  in  sight  of  General 
Robert  E.  Lee's  residence.  There  was  no  effort  made 
to  establish  order  in  our  rude  camp.  Boxes  of  muskets 
were  shipped  to  headquarters,  but  the  men  swore  they 
would  not  surrender  their  sabers  or  carbines,  and 
would  not  handle  a  musket.  This  state  of  affairs  con- 
tinued for  several  days,  during  which  there  was  neither 
reveille  nor  roll-call  nor  any  command  given,  the  men 
wearying  themselves  out  by  inactivity. 

"There  was  a  regiment  of  colored  cavalrymen  en- 
camped close  by.  They  practiced  the  most  perfect  dis- 
cipline. Our  men,  having  nothing  else  to  do,  would 
gather  round  their  camp  to  see  them  mount  guard  and 
practice  those  requirements  necessary  to  camp  rule. 
Our  chaplain,  always  friendly  toward  the  injured  race, 
became  friendly  at  once  with  the  officers  and  men.  It 
was  then  that  he  performed  the  most  valuable  work  of 
his  life  in  the  service.  He  would  return  from  that 
colored  camp,  move  about  among  the  companies  and 
the  men  to  show  them  how  orderly  and  noble  these 
colored  men  acted,  and  how  much  better  and  wiser  for 
all  concerned  if  they,  too,  would  prove  obedient  and 
worthy  than  act  in  a  disorderly  manner. 

"In  Jiis  kind  and  unobtrusive  manner  he  inculcated 
the  spirit  of  obedience,  appealing  to  their  patriotism 
and  sense  of  right ;  he  said  that  the  dismount  was 
a  necessity  to  help  our  men  out  of  the  swamps  of  the 
wilderness,  and  that  as  soon  as  possible  the  regiment 
would  be  mounted  again.  By  such  appeals  to  their 
better  reason  and  feelings,  making  no  speeches  or  dem- 
onstration, he  quietly  'calmed  the  savage  breast  with 


110  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

peace,'  and  really  led  the  men  quietly  to  submit  to  the 
orders  of  the  Government.  The  officers,  of  course, 
entered  into  the  same  spirit,  and  when  the  boxes  of 
muskets  were  opened  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  regi- 
ment who  did  not  step  up  when  called,  lay  down  his 
saber  and  carbine,  and  shoulder  a  musket. 

"The  appeasing  of  the  just  wrath  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  on  this  trying  occasion  is 
justly  attributable  to  Chaplain  I.  L.  Kephart. 

"The  sequel  of  this  dismounting  showed  that  in  a 
military  sense  it  was  the  best  thing  that  ever  occurred 
for  the  perfection  of  this  regiment." 

Concerning  the  remounting  of  the  Twenty-first 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  on  October  6,  Mr.  Doyle 
says:  "The  battles  of  August  18,  19,  and  21  were 
fought,  and  that  of  People's  Farm,  September  30. 
In  this  campaign,  being  a  continuous  fight  from  June 
2,  1864,  to  September  30,  our  regiment  was  very  much 
reduced  in  numbers,  so  we  were  ordered  to  City  Point 
to  be  remounted,  and  the  new  men  which  were  re- 
cruited were  distributed  among  the  different  companies, 
filling  the  Twenty-first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  up  to  its 
maximum  number.  There  the  men  exchanged  their 
tattered  uniforms  for  new  garments,  horses  well 
equipped  were  furnished  the  men,  and  once  more  the 
gallant  regiment  marched  to  the  front  full  of  courage 
and  determination.  P>ut  one  thing  still  remained  old. 
The  regiment's  banner,  a  fine  silk  flag  made  by  the 
ladies  of  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  presented 
through  Colonel  McClure  and  carried  through  every 
battle,  was  now  old  and  pierced  with  bullets,  as  were 
the  twelve  guidons  of  the  companies.     In  marching  to 


Christian  Patriot  111 

the  front,  the  soldiers  who  had  been  off  duty  stood 
along  the  line  to  see  this  body  of  cavalry,  looking  brand 
new,  going  to  the  front.  Those  old  service-stained 
soldiers  first  began  to  laugh  and  jolly  the  apparently 
new  and  green  regiment,  saying,  'Well,  boys,  the  John- 
nies are  just  waiting  to  welcome  you,'  and  such  jocular 
remarks.  But  when  they  noticed  our  bullet-shattered 
banner  and  our  company  guidons,  all  pierced  with  bul- 
lets, they  saw  they  were  jeering  a  veteran  regiment, 
and  we  received  from  them  three  of  the  most  hearty 
cheers.  Our  dear  chaplain  rode  along  the  line  of  com- 
panies as  happy  as  a  man  could  be,  and  was  heartily 
cheered  by  the  boys  as  he  said  to  them,  'Didn't  I  tell 
you  at  Arlington  the  Government  would  do  the  right 
thing  and  remount  us  as  soon  as  possible  ?'  I  feel  that 
this  was  the  happiest  day  of  his  life." 

From  June  2,  1864,  till  April  9,  1865,  the  regiment 
participated  in  nineteen  engagements,  losing  417  of  its 
men  in  killed  and  wounded,  besides  about  200  taken 
prisoners.  As  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  Doctor  Kep- 
hart  was  present  and  under  fire  in  every  one  of  these 
nineteen  battles. 

Speaking  of  his  first  experience  in  battle,  he  says, 
in  a  letter  written  June  8,  1884 :  "The  morning  of  the 
31st  we  heard  the  roar  of  cannon  in  battle.  I  must 
admit,  as  it  was  the  first  music  (?)  of  the  kind  I  had 
ever  heard,  that  the  effect  upon  my  nerves  was  by  no 
means  soothing."  But  he  undoubtedly  became  more 
accustomed  very  shortly  after,  for  he  says,  speaking  of 
the  battle  that  followed  on  the  second  of  June :  "Just 
as  the  storm  was  subsiding,  the  rattle  of  musketry  com- 
menced in  the  timber  but  a  short  distance  to  the  right 


112  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

of  where  our  regiment  lay  and  was  interspersed  with 
cheer  upon  cheer,  and  soon  shells  began  to  fly,  and  the 
fact  that  they  came  from  two  different  directions  made 
it  evident  that  the  rebels  had  the  'cross  fire'  on  us. 
Then  and  there  I  first  learned  what  it  is  to  be  where 
the  shells  are  bursting  all  around.  .  .  .  The  position 
the  enemy  held  was  strong  and  the  fire  galling,  but  the 
Twenty-first,  though  not  drilled  a  single  bit  as  infantry, 
went  into  it  like  veterans.  The  charge  was  made  and 
the  enemy  routed  from  their  position,  but  our  regiment 
suffered  severely." 

Mr.  Doyle  furnishes  an  interesting  description  of 
the  battle  before  Petersburg,  in  1864.  On  June  3, 
he  was  shot  through  the  forearm  at  the  battle  of 
Cold  Harbor,  disabling  him  for  thirty  days,  during 
which  time  he  and  the  chaplain  did  not  meet.  He 
says  of  the  battle  at  Petersburg : 

"Again,  in  July,  we  met  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
Virginia,  where  every  day  w^as  fight,  culminating  in 
the  terrible  affair  so  unfortunate  to  the  Union — the 
blowing  up  of  the  mine  on  July  30.  All  the  previous 
day  and  through  the  night  of  July  29,  we  were 
expecting  something  desperate  to  occur,  and  were 
preparing  for  the  event  in  every  possible  way.  The 
morning  of  July  30  had  just  clearly  dawmed  when 
the  earth  trembled  and  an  eruption  like  an  earth- 
quake broke  forth.  The  rebel  fort  on  our  right 
burst  up  into  the  air,  carrying  with  it  the  men 
occupying  the  fort,  some  erect,  others  feet  foremost, 
arms  and  legs  extended,  and  then  all  fell  back  into 
the  crater.  At  the  first  sound  of  the  report,  all 
the   cannons   along   the    line   opened   as   with   one 


Christian  Patriot  113 

sound,  and  made  a  terrible  uproar,  the  like  of  which 
no  one  living  ever  heard  before.  The  enemy  were 
overwhelmed  with  fear.  They  fled  like  ants  from  a 
destroyed  ant-hill.  Everything  was  in  consterna- 
tion. We  expected  every  moment  to  hear  the  com- 
mand, 'Forward!  Charge!  March!'  but  it  never 
came.  Only  three  regiments  were  massed  and 
ordered  to  possess  the  fort. 

"The  enemy  soon  recovered  from  the  fright,  and 
their  cannons  opened  from  every  direction,  bearing 
on  the  fort  and  the  space  in  front,  over  which  our 
men  were  passing.  They  mowed  our  men  down 
like  grass  before  the  reaper.  Those  who  reached 
the  fort  did  so  to  perish,  and  those  who  crossed  the 
breastworks  did  so  never  to  return.  For  three  days 
all  efforts  to  relieve  our  wounded  failed.  Every 
flag  of  truce  was  rejected  ;  the  wounded  were  left  to 
die  upon  the  field  in  a  July  sun.  Such  was  the 
incensed  feeling  of  the  enemy  that  not  until  all  were 
still  in  death,  the  third  day  after  the  battle,  did  we 
get  permission  to  bury  the  dead. 

"Chaplain  Kephart  and  I  passed  over  the  field 
where  the  three  regiments  of  men  lay  slaughtered, 
covering  every  foot  of  ground  between  the  lines  at 
this  place.  It  was  a  shocking  sight;  dead  bodies 
lying  in  every  shape  and  manner,  shattered,  swollen, 
lying  on  top  and  across  each  other.  Well  might 
General  Sherman  have  said,  'War  is  hell.'  " 

Doctor  Kephart  gives  the  following  poetic 
description  of  the  blowing  up  of  this  fort : 


114  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

"Awake,  brave  boys !    we  're  ordered  out ; 
'T  is  now  just  three,  look  well  about, 
'T  is  said,  at  four  they  '11  spring  the  mine 
And  open  all  along  the  line." 

That  awful  day  of  sixty-four! 
A  hundred  thousand  men  or  more 
Were  all  aroused,  with  bated  breath, 
To  plunge  into  the  work  of  death. 

The  morning  quiet,  deathly  still, — 
Silence  supreme,  from  hill  to  hill. 
Reigned  all  around;  nor  could  one  guess 
Why  men  should  fight  instead  of  bless. 

The  dawn  of  day  advancing  fast. 

Now  gilded  o'er  the  country  vast ; 

The  sun  began  to  shoot  his  rays 

And  light  the  camp  with  his  morning  blaze. 

And  still  deep  silence  reigned  around, 
From  fort  to  fort,  from  mound  to  mound ; 
The  army  seemed  to  be  asleep. 
But,  ah,  't  was  stirred  with  purpose  deep. 

Hark!  thundering  forth  an  earthquake  sound! 
A  shock  with  trembling  shakes  the  ground! 
A  fort  goes  heav'nward  in  the  air ! 
And  cannon  volley  forth  their  blare. 

Now,  all  along  the  extended  line, 
For  miles  on  each  side  of  the  mine. 
The  cannon  roar,  the  muskets  rattle, 
As  rages  forth  the  storm  of  battle. 

The  minies  zip,  the  mortars  thunder ! 
The  bomb-shells  fly,  the  soldiers  wonder! 
And  clouds  on  clouds  of  smoke  up-curl. 
Amid  the  battle's  awful  whirl! 

Now,  "Forward,  boys!"  the  brave  commander 
Shouts  to  the  colored  troops  off  yonder ; 
And  up  they  ^spring  and  bravely  dash 
Amid  the  battle's  awful  crash. 


Christian  Patriot  115 

On,  on  they  go,  up  through  the  breach ! 
On,  on,  the  blown-up  fort  they  reach ! 
On  still  they  go  'mid  rain  of  shell. 
That  tell  upon  their  ranks  too  well! 

They  've  passed  the  fort,  they  're  through  the  lines ! 
Oh,  how  their  courage  far  outshines 
The  proudest  hopes  of  Freedom's  friends, 
And  to  their  race  new  luster  lends! 

Now,  on  the  hill  they  halt  to  form, 
But,  ah,  upon  them  falls  a  storm 
Of  shot  and  shell  from  distant  forts — 
The  musketry  of  vast  cohorts. 

They  stand !  they  stagger,  and  they  sway 
From  left  to  right,  and  thousands  lay, 
Of  braves  shot  down;  they  strew  the  ground! 
Smoke,  roar,  and  death  reign  all  around! 

This  carnival  of  death  they  brave 
A  moment,  and  then  seek  to  save. 
By  sudden,  panic-smitten  flight, 
The  few  that 's  left,  and  with  all  might 

They  break  and  fly  across  the  breach. 
Nor  stop  until  they  cover  reach, 
Where,  huddled  like  dog-frightened  sheep. 
They  stand,  too  much  amazed  to  speak. 

Awhile  resounds  the  cannon's  blare ; 
Awhile  the  shells  their  pathway  tear 
Through  breastworks,  forests,  forts,  and  tents, 
And  then  the  dreadful  strife  relents. 

The  sun  now  settles  in  the  west; 
His  golden  rays  in  beauty  rest 
Upon  a  scene  with  horror  rife — 
This  field  of  sanguinary  strife ! 

Five  thousand  lost  to  freedom's  cause ! 
Dead,  wounded,  prisoners !    Let  us  pause 
And  count,  in  blood  and  death,  the  cost 
Of  this  great  battle  fought,  and  lost ! 


116  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

In  a  letter  written  August  24,  1864,  he  gives  a 
partial  description  of  this  terrible  battle.  He  says : 
"We  now  rest  on  the  famous  Weldon  Railroad,  and 
I  shall  take  advantage  of  this  temporary  halt  to 
drop  a  few  lines.  From  the  time  I  wrote  you  my 
last  letter,  nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  until 
the  30th  of  July.  Then  came  the  blowing  up  of  the 
fort,  the  tremendous  cannonading,  and  the  repulse 
of  our  forces,  which  some  papers  of  the  North  and 
of  the  South  tried  hard  to  magnify  into  complete 
annihilation.  It  is  gratifying  to  every  lover  of 
liberty  to  know  that  this  noble  army  still  survives. 

"Respecting  the  afifairs  of  the  30th  ult.,  I  will 
only  add  that  the  cannonading  was  doubtless  the 
most  grand  and  tremendous  the  world  has  ever  wit- 
nessed. Its  effect  upon  an  eye  witness  was  inde- 
scribable. The  earth  trembled ;  the  heavens  were 
black  with  smoke  for  miles,  while  crash  upon  crash, 
and  peal  upon  peal  made  the  vast  expanse  of  space 
resound  as  if  convulsed  with  some  great,  thundering 
tornado." 

Later,  in  describing  the  movements  at  Dinwiddie 
Court  House,  'he  says:  "There  is  a  fascination, 
excitement,  and  glory  connected  with  war  when  it 
is  removed  at  a  great  distance ;  but  when  it  is 
brought  so  near  to  you  that  you  can  hear  the  minies 
whistle  and  sing  'bim,'  'zim,'  'chung,'  close  to  your 
own  ears,  and  hear  the  murderous  shells  howl  and 
scream  like  death  demons  through  the  air,  and  see 
them  now  and  then  knock  over  a  horse  or  a  man 
at  your  side;  and  just  then,  in  addition  to  the  fact 
that  the  enemy  is  pressing  hard  on  the  left  flank 


Christian  Patriot  117 

and  front,  the  somewhat  serious  intelligence  reaches 
you  that  the  enemy  is  in  the  rear  also,  and  visions 
of  prisons  begin  to  flit  across  your  brain,  then  the 
'glory  of  the  charge'  and  the  'grandeur  of  the  battle- 
field' lose  all  their  fascinating  brilliancy,  and  things 
settle  down  to  what  they  really  are — stern,  sober 
realities." 

On  December  10,  1864,  he  recorded  in  his  diary : 
"I  am  thirty-two  years  old  to-day ;  had  a  miserable 
night  of  it;  a  coat  of  ice  half  an  inch  thick  covers 
everything;  had  no  shelter  and  slept  but  very  little; 
by  far  the  most  uncomfortable  night  of  my  life;  but 
still  we  cracked  many  a  joke  and  took  everything 
in  good  humor,  remembering  that  it  is  'all  for  the 
flag.'  "  In  an  article  written  describing  that  same 
night's  rest,  he  says :  "We  did  not  unsaddle  our 
horses,  but  built  fires,  around  which  we  huddled, 
while  the  merciless  sleet  and  soaking  rain  pelted  us 
during  the  whole  of  that  long,  long  night.  I  slept 
but  very  little,  and  then  lay  on  the  wet  ground, 
using  a  black  man's  knee  for  a  pillow.  I  always 
knew  I  was  an  abolitionist,  but  never  dreamed  that 
the  force  of  circumstance  would  make  me  glad  to 
avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  use  a  black  man's 
knee  for  a  pillow." 

In  his  diary  he  gives  the  following  brief  descrip- 
tion of  the  scene  in  the  army  leading  to  and  follow- 
ing the  capture  of  Petersburg,  1865  : 

"April  2nd,  Sabbath.  Tremendous  cannonading 
all  last  night  in  the  direction  of  Petersburg,  which 
increased  with  tenfold  fury  as  the  morning  dawned, 
but  ceased  about  9:00  a.m.     At  10:00  a.m.,  the  joy- 


118  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

ful  news  came  that  Petersburg-  was  taken.  Then  a 
scene  was  witnessed  long  to  be  remembered.  Such 
cheering!  Hats  were  thrown  twenty  feet  into  the 
air;  the  men  made  the  heavens  ring  with  cheer 
upon  cheer,  while  officers  galloped  to  and  fro,  swing- 
ing their  hats,  shaking  each  other's  hands,  laughing 
and  cheering,  completely  overcome  with  joy.  Just 
then  General  Sheridan  rode  along  the  lines,  which 
added  greatly  to  the  excitement.  About  noon  it 
became  evident  that  the  Rebel  forces,  which  our 
movement  to  the  right  of  the  Fifth  Corps  was 
designed  to  check,  had  withdrawn,  and  the  cavalry 
again  moved  down  to  the  extreme  left  and  struck 
the  South  Side  Railroad  at  Ford's,  moved  along  the 
road  in  the  direction  of  Petersburg  for  six  miles, 
and  at  night  halted,  well  satisfied  with  our  day's 
work.     'The  Lord  reigns!     Let  the  earth  rejoice!'" 

His  description  of  the  events  immediately  preced- 
ing Lee's  surrender  is  as  follows  : 

"April  9th,  Sabbath.  Moved  at  6:00  a.m.  Struck 
the  Confederates,  or  rather  they  struck  us  one  mile 
beyond  Appomattox  Station.  Had  a  sharp  fight. 
The  Twenty-fourth  and  part  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Corps  came  to  our  assistance.  We  held  the  road. 
General  Lee  finally  seeing  that  he  is  surrounded, 
sends  in  a  flag  of  truce  and  proposes  to  surrender 
his  army.  Our  cavalry  moved  out  to  the  left,  and 
before  the  news  of  the  truce  reaches  them,  they 
prepare  to  charge.  The  Twenty-first  leads  the 
charge,  and  had  just  started  when  the  news  of  the 
truce  reached  the  regiment  that  was  to  support 
them.     The  Twent3'--first   charged  down   the   road. 


Christian  Patriot  119 

driving  the  Confederates,  but  finding  their  supports 
were  not  coming  up,  returned  much  chagrined.  Learn- 
ing of  the  truce,  they  were  well  satisfied.  Thus  the 
Twenty-first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  makes  the  last 
charge,  as  w^ell  as  the  first  charge  of  this  great  and 
glorious  campaign.  General  Lee  surrenders  his 
army  to  General  Grant ;  the  soldiers  are  to  be 
paroled,  and  permitted  to  return  to  their  homes 
unarmed.  The  news  is  given  to  our  army.  Uni- 
versal joy !  This  Lord's  day  virtually  ends  the  war. 
'Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good  will  toward  men.'  " 

In  his  record  of  the  12th  of  April,  he  says :  "Dur- 
ing this  campaign  I  have  not  had  my  boots  ofif  my 
feet  for  fifteen  days.  Took  them  ofif  to-day  for  the 
first  time  since  we  broke  camp." 

On  April  16,  he  records :  "We  changed  camp, 
fixed  up  quarters,  and  thus  a  beautiful  Sabbath  is 
spent.  The  news  of  President  Lincoln's  assassina- 
tion, which  reached  us  late  last  night,  is  confirmed. 
Good  God  !  what  a  national  calamity !  How  myste- 
rious are  the  providences  of  God  toward  this  nation ! 
Why  should  such  an  act  be  permitted?  God  grant 
that  this  terrible  calamity  may  be  overruled  for  the 
nation's  good." 

Following  the  surrender  of  Lee,  he  returned  to 
Washington,  and  from  thence  to  his  family  at 
Mechanicsville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  arrived  on 
April  28,  at  4:00  p.m.,  and  says,  "I  am  once  more 
infinitely  happy  in  the  society  of  my  dear  little 
family."  On  May  1,  he  says:  "At  home  all  day. 
Oh,  how  happy  the  man  that  can   enjoy  without 


120  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

interruption  the  society  of  his  loving,  interesting 
little  family !" 

During  Doctor  Kephart's  service  in  the  army,  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  negro  who  had  the 
symphonious  name  of  "Ruffin  Nathaniel  Seeagen 
Short,"  with  the  chief  emphasis  on  the  "Short,"  a 
servant  of  Sergeant-Major  Long,  who  was  such  an 
interesting  character  that  Doctor  Kephart  had  fre- 
quent conversations  with  him  and,  after  the  war, 
wrote  quite  an  extended  account  of  his  interviews. 
We  give  one  of  them : 

"Rufifin  had  entered  my  tent  and  taken  a  seat  by 
the  fire.  After  rubbing  his  hands  and  passing  the 
compliments  of  the  evening,  he  said,  'Chaplain, 
dar  's  a  place  in  dat  good  Book  where  it  says  sumfin' 
'bout  dar  bein'  nuffin'  dat  can  sep'rate  us  from  de 
Lo'd  Jesus,  isn't  dar?' 

"  'Yes,'  I  said  to  him,  'there  is.' 

"  'Well,  would  yer  be  so  kind  as  ter  jis'  find  dat 
place  an'  read  a  little  ter  me.  Dat  passage  has  been 
mighty  comfortin'  ter  me  many  times.  My  ole 
'oman  often  read  hit  ter  me.' 

"I  took  up  my  Bible  and  turned  to  Romans  8, 
and  read  the  whole  chapter.  He  listened  very  atten- 
tively, every  now  and  then  interposing  a  'Bless  de 
Lo'd,'  until  I  read,  'For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor 
powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord.'  As  I  pronounced  the 
last  word,  he  brought  liis  hand  down  on  his  knee 


IV/ii/e  Professor  in    Western  College,  1872 


I  I 


warn 


_Ji 


m 


Mrs.  Kephnrt,  Doctor  Kephart,  Belle  {deceased),  and  Horace. 

(As  the funtily  appeared  about  eighteen  years  ago.) 


Christian  Patriot  121 

with  a  great  slap  and  exclaimed :  'Dar !  Bless  de 
Lo'd!  dat  kivers  de  whole  groun'  an'  no  mistake. 
Hit 's  jis'  as  I  used  to  tell  my  ole  massa ;  de  Baptis' 
doc'rine  am  right,  "onct  in  grace,  allers  in  grace," 
for  nuffin'  can  sep'rate  us  from  de  lub  ob  God. 
Isn't  dat  so,  chaplain?  De  Book  says  so,  fer  yer 
jis'  read  hit  ter  me  dis  blessed  minute.' 

"  'You  are  a  Baptist,  then,'  I  said,  'are  you  ?' 

"  'Yes,  sah,  I  is.  When  I  got  'ligion,  I  felt  dat  I 
war  so  great  a  sinner  dat  all  de  water  in  de  Jameses 
Ribber  were  not  too  much  to  wash  my  sins  'way ; 
an'  I  says  to  de  preacher,  "Put  me  in  'fectually,  an' 
no  little  sprinklin'  'bout  it;  hit  takes  moah  den 
sprinklin'  ter  make  me  clean."  ' 

"  'Was  your  master  a  Baptist,  too?' 

"  'No,  sah,  he  'longed  ter  no  church ;  but  missus 
an'  young  missus  'longed  ter  de  Meth'dis',  an'  massa 
leaned  dat  way,  too.  He  alius  said  dat  de  Baptist 
doc'rin'  ob  "onct  in  grace,  allers  in  grace,"  was 
wrong,  and  dat  de  Meth'dis'  doc'rin'  of  backslidin'  was 
right.  An'  me  an'  ole  massa  had  many  a  hard 
argument  on  dat  berry  p'int.  But  one  day,  I  jis' 
'eluded  dat  I  'd  settle  dat  p'int  onct  for  all  wid 
massa ;  so  I  got  ready  and  waited  till  de  next  time 
he  'd  tackle  me.  So,  one  day,  we  was  shuckin'  co'n, 
an'  massa  com'd  'long  in  fine  good  humor,  an'  he 
ag'in  pokes  a  little  fun  at  me  'bout  de  perseverin'  ob 
de  saints.  So  I  jis'  say  ter  him,  "Now,  massa,  if 
yer '11  jis'  gib  me  two  minutes  time,  I  convinces  yer 
onct  for  all  dat  de  Baptis'  am  right  an'  de  Meth'dis' 
am  "vvrong."  "All  right,"  says  massa,  lafifin',  "go 
'head."     "Well,"   says   I.    "hit 's   jis'   dis   way.     I  's 


122  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

youh  nigg-a,  isn't  I?"  "Yes,  you  are."  "You  buyed 
me?"  "Yes."  "You  paid  for  me  wid  youah  own 
money?"  "Yes."  "Den  I 's  youahs  sartin  suah, 
isn't  I?"  "Oh,  yes."  "Well,  s'posin'  I  runs  'way 
from  yer,  isn't  I  youah  nigga  still?"  "Yes,  indeed, 
you  are."  "AVell,  I  now  b'longs  to  de  Lo'd  Jesus, 
'cause  he  bought  me."  "Yes."  "He  paid  for  me 
wid  his  own  blood."  "Yes."  "Den  I  's  his  sartin 
suah."  "Yes."  "Supposin'  I  runs  'way  from  him, 
isn't  I  his  still?"' 

"  'And  what  did  your  master  say  to  that?'  I  asked. 

"  'He  jis'  looked  at  me  kinder  blank-like,  an'  he 
says,  "Ruffin,  my  boy,  yer 's  mighty  sharp" ;  an' 
from  dat  on,  ole  massa  nebber  onct  moah  argied  wid 
me  'bout  fallin'  from  grace.' 

"The  fact  was,  the  wily  slave-master  saw  that  it 
would  not  do  to  admit  that  if  his  slave  ran  away 
from  him  he  would  be  no  longer  his.  This  victory 
over  his  master  in  argument  seemed  to  afford  the 
simple-minded,  honest-hearted  slave  so  much  satis- 
faction that  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  rob 
him  of  his  joy  by  pointing  out  to  him  the  fallacy  in 
his  argument.  On  the  other  hand,  I  could  but 
assure  him  that  his  victory  over  his  master  was 
complete,  even  though  the  logic  was  false. 

"Being  much  interested  in  his  religious  life,  I 
asked  him  to  give  me  an  account  of  his  awakening 
and  conversion. 

"  'Well,'  he  said,  'yer  see  I  owes  it  all  to  de  good 
Lo'd  an'  dat  blessed  ole  'oman  ob  mine.  I  was 
wild  an'  wicked  jis'  like  udder  young  niggas,  till 
arter   I    married   'Nerva.      But   w'en    I   wanted   ter 


Christian  Patriot  123 

marry,  I  didn't  pick  out  a  young  gal ;  I  picked  on 
'Nerva,  who  b'long  ter  Cap'in  Temples,  an'  she  was 
fifteen  years  older  den  me.' 

"  'Why,  Ruffin,'  I  said,  'what  was  your  notion  for 
choosing  a  wife  so  much  older  than  yourself?' 

"  'Oh,  I  didn't  want  any  ob  dem  young  gals  as 
goes  flirtin'  'round ;  I  wanted  a  good  ole  'oman  as 
has  got  sense.  So  I  picked  on  'Nerva,  an'  we  got 
married,  an'  got  'long  fust-rate.  She  nebber  scold 
me  onct.  She  allers  spoke  kind  ter  me,  called  me 
her  boy,  an'  was  allers  glad  to  see  me.  Before  de 
wah  commenced,  I  went  ter  see  her  regular,  ebery 
five  or  six  weeks,  on  Sat'day  night,  an'  stayed  till 
Sunday  night.  Had  fifteen  miles  to  walk  arter  a 
doin'  ob  my  week's  work,  but  dat  didn't  seem  much, 
for  I  was  allers  so  glad  ter  see  'Nerva.  She  was 
Cap'in  Temples'  boss  cook,  an'  de  cap'in's  wife 
thought  lots  ob  her  an'  allers  'lowed  her  ter  gib  me 
somethin'  good  ter  eat.  De  cap'in's  plantation  was 
jis'  two  miles  from  City  P'int.  Dat  is,  de  cap'in 
lived  on  dat  plantation  for  seberal  years  afore  de 
wah,  but  w'en  we  got  married  he  lived  on  de  plan- 
tation jinin'  my  massa's,  and  dar  I  could  be  wid 
'Nerva  almost  ebery  night  in  our  own  little  cabin. 
Arter  de  wah  commenced,  I  only  got  to  go  see 
'Nerva  onct  in  five  or  six  months. 

"  'Well,  as  I  was  goin'  ter  say,  w'en  we  got  mar- 
ried, I  was  a  wicked  young  nigga,  but  'Nerva  was 
a  good,  true  Christian,  if  ebber  dar  was  one  in  dis 
wo'ld.  She  read  ter  me  outer  der  Testament  and 
she  talked  kind  ter  me  'bout  how  de  blessed  Jesus 
was  ter  die  for  us  all,  and  buy  us  back  from  de  debil 


124  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

wid  his  own  blood.  But  wen  she  saw  I  was 
a  gittin'  worried,  she  jis'  quit  talkin'  dat  minit. 
Well,  ole  massa  would  'low  us  niggas  to  chop  down 
a  cowcummer  tree,  an'  at  nights  we  would  make 
wooden  bowls  outer  de  wood,  an'  den  on  Sundays 
we  would  carry  dem  off  an'  sell  dem,  an'  in  dat  way 
git  a  little  spen'in'  money  ob  our  own.  Dis  I  did  for 
quite  a  while  arter  we  were  married,  but  hit  worried 
'Nerva  much,  an'  she  talked  kindly  ter  me  'bout  hit 
jis'  as  she  saw  I  would  stand  her  talk,  an'  told  me 
hit  was  wicked  ter  peddle  bowls  on  de  good  Lo'd's 
day.  An'  she  did  hit  all  so  kind,  too,  dat  I  could 
not  find  hit  in  my  heart  ter  git  cross  at  her.  One 
week,  I  had  worked  hard  an'  late  each  night,  makin' 
bowls,  an'  on  Sunday  mornin',  as  soon  as  breakfast 
was  ober,  I  got  my  lot  ob  bowls  on  my  back,  an' 
jis'  as  I  stood  in  de  doah  ob  our  cabin  ready  to 
start,  'Nerva  came  ter  me  wid  a  nice  clean  white 
hanckerchief  on  her  neck,  an',  looking  berry  sad, 
laid  her  hand  on  my  shoulder  an'  said,  so  kind-like, 
"Well,  my  boy,  is  yer  goin'  ag'in?"  But  somehow 
dat  kinder  riled  me,  and  I  jis'  said,  short-like,  "I 
jis'  wis'h  y  'd  mind  yer  own  business."  She  nebber 
said  anudder  wo'd,  but  jis'  folded  her  arms  'cross 
her  breast,  heaved  a  big  sigh,  an'  said,  "Lord,  bless 
him."  At  dat  I  started,  an'  a  great  big  lump  seemed 
ter  rise  rite  in  my  throat  an'  nearly  choke  me.  I 
walked  out  de  road  wid  de  bowls  on  my  back,  an' 
as  de  road  was  straight  for  nearly  a  mile,  ebery 
now  an'  den  I  'd  look  back  an'  I  could  see  'Nerva 
standin'  in  de  doah,  leanin'  'gainst  do  doah  cheekin', 
an'  de  white  hanckerchief  on  her  neck ;  an'  I  know'd 


Christian  Patriot  125 

she  was  prayin'  for  me  all  de  time.  Well,  chaplain, 
'pon  my  wo'd,  ebery  blessed  time  I  looked  back, 
dat  lump  in  my  throat  got  bigger,  and  dem  bowls 
on  my  back  got  heabier.  I  know'd  I  ougtht  ter  go 
back;  somethin'  kept  a  tellin'  me  dat  I  should  go 
back,  dat  I  was  a  wicked,  hard-hearted  nigga ;  but 
on  I  went  an'  sold  de  bowls.  But,  oh,  how  I  was 
troubled ;  I  couldn't  rest ;  dat  lump  in  my  throat 
kept  a  chokin'  me  all  de  while,  an'  somethin'  kept 
a  tellin'  me  all  de  while  dat  de  debil,  he  git  me 
suah.  Well,  I  lit  out  for  home  as  soon  as  possible, 
an'  got  dar  much  sooner  den  usual.  'Nerva  was 
sittin'  in  de  cabin  readin'  de  Testament,  but  soon 
as  I  come  she  says,  "Oh,  my  boy,  I 's  so  glad  you 
come,"  an'  wid  dat  she  quick  gits  somethin'  on  de 
table  an'  tells  me  ter  set  up  an'  eat.  I  set  up,  but 
dat  lump  was  so  big  in  my  throat  dat  I  could  not, 
for  de  life  ob  me,  swoller  a  bite.  'Nerva  notice  dis 
mighty  quick,  an'  she  says,  so  kind-like,  "My  poor 
boy,  is  yer  sick?"  Den  I  could  hole  in  no  longer, 
an'  I  says :  "O  'Nerva,  'Nerva,  pray  for  your  poor 
boy.  I 's  such  a  great  sinner,  de  debil  he  gits  me 
suah" ;  an'  wid  dat  I  falls  on  my  knees  by  de  stool, 
de  tears  a  streamin'  down  my  cheeks.  But  den  yer 
should  hab  seen  'Nerva.  Instead  ob  bein'  skeered, 
as  I  thought  she  'd  be,  she  jis'  clapped  her  ban's 
an'  said,  so  gentle  an'  soothin'-like :  "Bless  de 
Lo'd,  bless  de  Lo'd !  My  boy  now  sees  dat  he  am 
a  sinner!  Bless  de  Lo'd!  Jesus  come  inter  de 
wo'ld  to  save  sinners !    Bless  de  Lo'd  !" 

"'But  says  I,  "O  'Nerva,  I  's  too  great  a  sinner; 
de  Lo'd  cannot  save  me."     Den  she  jis'  lafifed  an' 


126  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcpliart 

said :  "Oh,  you  poor,  blind,  foolish  nigga,  as  if  de 
good  Lo'd  war  weak !  Why,  he  made  heaven  an' 
earth,  an'  you  thinks  he  can't  save  one  little  nigga 
like  you.  Why,  he  can  save  a  whole  world  full  ob 
sinners  like  you,  if  dey  only  come  ter  him." 

"  'Well,  from  dat  time  on  till  'bout  midnight,  we 
had  a  time.  'Nerva  sung,  an'  prayed,  an'  shouted, 
an'  quoted  Scripture  ter  me ;  an'  all  de  time  I 
seemed  to  be  gittin'  nearer  an'  nearer  to  de  mouth 
of  hell;  an'  at  last,  when  I  jis'  see  de  ole  debil  wid 
his  big  pitchfork  'bout  ter  histe  me  right  into  de 
lake  ob  fire,  I  cries  wid  all  my  soul,  "Lo'd  Jesus, 
save  me  or  I  perish" ;  an'  hit  seemed  as  if  he  leaped 
right  in  between  de  debil  an'  me,  an'  wid  a  smile  on 
his  blessed  face,  catched  me  in  his  arms  an'  hugged 
me  to  his  bussum !  Well,  yer  better  b'lieve  dat 
war  a  change  for  me.  Why,  hit  jis'  'peared  as  if  I 
war  a  new  man  all  over.  For  onct  I  forgot  I  was  a 
slave.  I  shouted  glory  to  God.  I  clasped  'Nerva  in 
my  arms.  Afore  dat  she  war  a  good  'oman,  I 
thought,  but  now  she  war  an  angel.  Her  black  face 
jis'  shined  like  de  gold  ob  de  New  Jerusalem,  an' 
our  little  cabin  seemed  like  heaben  itself.  Well, 
from  dat  blessed  day,  I  hab  never  b'lieved  dat  de 
ole  debil  or  anybody  else  could  pluck  me  away  from 
my  blessed  Savior.'  " 

The  work  of  Doctor  Kephart  as  chaplain  was 
most  highly  appreciated  by  all  his  soldier  friends, 
as  they  testified  in  many  ways.  Rev.  M.  P.  Doyle, 
his  intimate  friend,  in  a  personal  letter  written 
December  18,  1907,  says:  "I  feel  proud  and  thank- 
ful to  say  that  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 


Christian  Patriot  127 

in  Christ  was  honored  by  the  Christian  record  of 
its  minister ;  and  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
Twenty-first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  were  proud  of 
their  chaplain.  I  was  very  glad  because  I  had  a 
part  in  that  selection,  and  we  were  all  benefited  by 
the  near  presence  of  our  chaplain  in  every  battle 
and  every  necessity,  to  instruct  and  cheer  the  men 
in  the  battle  for  victory  and  in  the  struggle  with 
death.  The  record  of  many  regimental  chaplains 
was  not  the  most  commendable,  but  such  was  not 
the  case  with  the  chaplain  of  the  Twenty-first  Penn- 
sylvania Cavalry,  and  the  entire  regiment,  as  well 
as  our  brigade  and  its  commander,  realized  and 
appreciated  it.  I  will  mention,  among  the  many 
services  rendered  by  our  chaplain,  this  incident : 
The  soldiers  w^ere  at  one  time  over  five  months 
without  receiving  pay,  because  there  was  no  money 
to  pay  them  in  the  treasury.  When  the  paymaster 
came  along,  our  regiment  was  in  the  front  line  of 
battle  in  front  of  Petersburg.  The  soldiers  were 
paid  right  on  the  firing-line  by  companies.  No  man 
wanted  to  carry  his  money  into  the  fight  for  evident 
reasons.  So  our  chaplain,  Rev.  I.  L.  Kephart,  may 
God  bless  him,  came  along  with  a  big  cofifee  sack 
and  received  the  pay  of  the  officers  and  men  to 
express  to  our  home  folks,  and  it  is  worthy  of  record 
that  never  was  there  a  man,  or  the  representative  of 
any  man,  who  ever  complained  of  any  delay  in 
having  received  the  money.  I  bundled  up  my  pay 
of  some  five  or  six  hundred  dollars  with  my  name 
upon  it,  as  my  only  security.  The  chaplain  took 
it,   put   it   in   an   express   envelope,   expressed   it   to 


128  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  to  my  wife,  and  word  of  its 
reception  was  received  by  me,  and  the  same  was 
the  experience  of  every  man  in  my  company  and  of 
the  regiment." 

Doctor  Kephart  mentions  in  his  diary  at  least 
six  different  times  at  which  money  was  given  him 
to  send  home.  At  one  time,  $7,700;  at  another, 
$33,029.55;  at  another,  $51,000.  The  other  times 
the  amount  is  not  stated,  except  that  on  February 
27,  1865,  he  received  and  expressed  home  102  pack- 
ages, the  amount  not  given.  This  indicates,  in  a 
very  large  degree,  the  confidence  felt  in  him  by  the 
men  of  his  regiment.  The  following  is  a  statement 
in  this  relation  from  the  officers  of  the  regiment : 

"Camp  Cook,  Pennsylvania. 
"To  All  Whom  it  May  Concern. 

"We,  the  undersigned  officers  of  this  detachment  of 
the  Twenty-first  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  take  pleasure 
in  certifying  that  our  chaplain,  Rev.  I.  L.  Kephart.  has, 
while  identified  with  us,  always  conducted  himself  as 
a  true  Christian,  and  that  by  the  faithful  performance 
of  all  his  duties  as  chaplain  he  has  secured  for  himself 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  officers  and  men. 

"R.  F.  MosAN,  Lieut.  Col. 

"M.  P.  Doyle,  First  Lieut.  Co.  C. 

"Howard  B.  Jeffries,  Sec.  Lieut.  Co.  E. 

"E.  McMullen,  Adjutant. 

"John  Killinger,  Lieut.  Co.  C. 

"Geo.  F.  Cook,  First  Lieut. 

"S.  M.  MuRPiiY,  Assistant  Surgeon. 

"J.  H.  Hammon,  Second  Lieut.  Co.  L. 


Christian  Patriot  129 

"Warren  Foster,  Second  Lieut.  Co.  M. 
"F.  D.  French,  First  Lieut.  Co.  L. 
"J.  L  A.  Weller,  Capt. 

Member  of  Military  Commission. 
"D.  B.  Vondersmith,  Captain  Co.  D. 
"Geo.  L.  Stiles,  Co.  L." 

In  further  attestation  of  their  appreciation  of  his 
services,  the  soldiers  of  Company  G,  October  11,  1864, 
presented  to  him  a  splendid  set  of  horse  equipments 
complete,  which  cost  in  all  $65,  and  on  March  24,  1865, 
Company  B  presented  him  a  fine  quarto  Bible  which 
bears  the  inscription : 

"In  Deo  Fides  Nostra." 

Presented 

By 

Co.  B,  21st  Pa.  Cavalry, 

To 

Rev.  L  L.  Kephart, 

as  a 

Mark  of  our  esteem  and  kind  regards. 

The  following-  tribute  to  Chaplain  Kephart  is 
from  the  pen  of  Lieutenant  William  Chandler,  and 
appeared  in  the  "Home,"  of  Strawsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  8,  1902 :  "I  wish  to  pay  my  respects 
to  our  worthy  chaplain.  Rev.  L  L.  Kephart,  D.D. 
He  has  studied  men  as  well  as  theology.  He  was 
ever  our  consistent  spiritual  adviser.  On  the  march 
and  in  camp  he  cared  tenderly  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.    As  a  soldier  for  the  great  Master,  he  was 


130  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

always  on  duty.  When  occasion  permitted  on  Sun- 
days, he  eloquently  and  forcibly  upheld  the  standard 
of  the  Lord,  argumentative,  sincere,  persuasive,  and 
oratorical.  Comrades  in  the  camp  flocked  to  hear 
him,  and  went  away  better  for  the  hearing.  His 
message  was,  to  be  ready  to  answer  the  roll-call  in 
the  eternal  world  beyond.    'Be  ye  all  ready.'  " 

Rev.  M.  P.  Doyle  says :  "Chaplain  Kephart  was 
a  very  cheerful  and  humorous  man,  and  entirely 
void  of  any  gloomy,  ascetic  bearing.  He  was  cheer- 
ful, always  ready  to  amuse  with  interesting  stories 
and  jocular  incidents.  I  have  known  him  to  pass 
along  the  companies  on  the  march  and  cheer  them 
up  with  some  uplifting,  laughable  incident.  It  was 
during  the  three  days  of  fighting  at  the  Weldon 
Railroad   that   he  passed   the   joke,   here   narrated, 

upon  an  old  political  opponent,  Ex-Governor . 

He  was  putting  the  money  the  soldiers  had  given 
him  in  large  express  envelopes  to  forward  to  the 
different  homes.  There  was  circulated  at  this  time 
a  small  map  showing  the  progress  made  in  subduing 
the  rebellion.  The  States  in  rebellion  were  shown 
in  black,  while  the  States  in  the  Union  were  printed 
in  light  red.  Said  he:  T  am  going  to  play  a  joke 
on  the  old  copperhead  ex-governor.  I  '11  send  him 
this  map  in  one  of  these  express  envelopes  and 
promise  to  pay  him  $10,000  when  the  Northern 
States  turn  black  and  the  Rebels  conquer  the  Union 
army.'  He  was  in  a  condition  to  pass  a  joke  at  this 
time,  and  we  both  enjoyed  this  hugely.  The  map 
was  folded,  placed  in  an  official  express  envelope, 
marked  $10,000  on  the  outside,  and  forwarded  with 


Christian  Patriot  131 

the  other  envelopes.    'This,'  said  he,  'will  show  him 
how  a  soldier  at  the  front  argues  politics.'  " 

He  says,  further:  "On  one  occasion,  while  the 
chaplain  was  preaching  to  the  assembled  regiment 
on  the  Weldon  Railroad  just  captured,  the  enemy 
opened  up  on  us  with  shot  and  shell,  tearing  up  the 
ground  all  around  us  and  far  beyond  us  into  the 
woods.  The  place  was  open,  and  we  must  be  in 
full  view,  as  well  as  in  range  of  the  enemy.  It  is 
a  fact  wihich  is  to  be  noted  with  pride  that  our 
brave  chaplain  never  faltered,  but  kept  on  preach- 
ing, and  not  a  man  or  officer  ever  quit  his  place. 
Those  on  the  outside  nestled  in  closer,  and  the  serv- 
ice continued  to  the  end.  I  am  confident  the  enemy 
regretted  this  s'helling  a  worshiping  congregation, 
for  the  fire  was  stopped  before  the  service  was  over. 
I  do  not  know  of  any  act  that  occurred  in  the  entire 
war  that  shows  greater  courage  than  the  firmness 
of  the  preacher  who  preached  under  this  terrible 
and  unexpected  fire,  and  the  cool  conduct  of  the 
congregation  that  was  not  dispersed  by  cannon- 
balls. 

"It  is  not  surprising  that  the  officers  gathered 
around  the  chaplain  and  congratulated  him  on  his 
courage  and  firmness,  but  we  all  congratulated  each 
other  and  thanked  God  that  no  one  was  injured  in 
this  service  under  fire." 

At  the  battle  of  Boydtown  Plank  Road,  Mr. 
Doyle  received  a  bullet  wound  in  the  knee  and  was 
taken  to  the  hospital.  Speaking  of  this  he  says : 
"The  dear,  good  chaplain  visited  me  for  the  last 
time  at  the  hospital  in  which  I  was  placed ;    gave 


132  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

me  an  account  of  the  action  and  how  my  company 
was  literally  wiped  out  with  the  exception  of  seven- 
teen men.  They  entered  the  battle  with  seventy- 
three  men.  This  ended  our  military  companionship. 
"Chaplain  Kephart  was  admitted  by  all  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  Twenty-first  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry  to  be  a  brave  and  fearless  soldier,  remain- 
ing with  his  regiment  in  all  its  advances,  a  faithful 
chaplain,  ever  present  to  give  religious  counsel,  to 
soothe  the  dying,  to  minister  to  the  sick  and 
wounded,  to  cheer  the  homesick  and  drooping  spirit, 
and  strengthen  the  soldier  going  into  battle.  He 
was  a  close  and  true  friend  and  a  delightful 
companion." 


EDITOR 


"He  who  would  hear  the  whisperings  of  the  'still  small 
voice'  must  learn  to  listen  for  it  in  the  quiet  of  his  own  soul 
rather  than  in  the  noise  and  bustle  of  life." 


VI. 
EDITOR 

Doctor  Kephart  became  editor  of  the  Religious 
Telescope  by  election  to  that  position  at  the  General 
Conference  held  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  in  1889, 
and  served  the  Church  in  that  capacity  until  the 
Lord  translated  him  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of 
October,  1908,  his  term  of  service  lasting  almost 
twenty  years. 

To  set  forth  his  real  work  as  an  editor  is  some- 
thing which  words  cannot  do.  Knowing  him  and 
feeling  the  impulse  of  his  life,  one  would  rather  his 
work  be  seen  than  to  think  of  his  personality,  for  his 
constant  desire  in  his  work  was  that  he  might 
influence  his  readers  to  that  which  was  good  and 
pure,  rather  than  to  establish  himself  as  an  editor. 

With  this  conception,  we  review  in  this  chapter 
the  work  of  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life.  In 
point  of  duration,  it  was  the  longest  term  of  service 
given  by  any  of  the  editors  of  the  Church ;  the  next 
longest  being  that  of  J.  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  whose  term 
was  from  1877  to  1889. 

Doctor  Kephart  came  to  this  position  when  our 
denomination  was  in  great  turmoil  over  the  Com- 
mission Act,  which  was  approved  by  the  General 
Conference  at  which  he  was  elected,  and  at  which 
the   Radical   brethren   withdrew   from   the    Church 


136  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

and  organized  the  new  denomination  subsequently 
known  as  the  Radical  United  Brethren. 

A  new  era  was  opening  before  our  denomination 
at  this  period,  and  he  who  was  to  assume  the 
responsible  position  of  editor  of  the  Religious  Tele- 
scope little  knew  what  was  in  store  for  him  in  the 
measure  of  exacting  service  that  would  be  expected 
in  this  new  position,  for  the  Telescope  became  the 
medium  for  continued  argument  on  the  vexing 
questions  of  the  day. 

The  result  of  his  years  of  toil  in  this  position 
prove  the  wisdom  of  the  General  Conference  in  his 
selection.  When  the  student  of  our  Church  history 
studies  this  period  analytically,  he  will  be  compelled 
to  accord  to  Isaiah  L.  Kephart,  as  editor  of  the 
Religious  Telescope,  great  credit  for  the  statesman- 
like manner  in  which  he  handled  the  official  organ 
of  the  Church. 

Qualification  is  essential  to  any  great  work.  The 
results  of  Doctor  Kephart's  life  are  so  pronounced 
as  to  cause  one  to  inquire  as  to  the  educational 
advantages  of  one  who  was  so  earnest  and  careful 
and  successful  in  leading  the  hosts  of  God  with 
such  triumph. 

In  answering"  this  question,  we  find  that  he  was  a 
close  student  and  had  quick  discernment  and  posi- 
tive application  of  mind.  These  qualities  were  not 
entirely  the  product  of  book  learning,  for  he  had  a 
special  training  in  the  early  years  of  his  life  which 
made  lasting  ini])rcssions  upon  his  mind,  and  pre- 
pared him  for  the  best  results  in  "^  pursuing  his 
studies  in  his  school  life. 


The  Editor  137 

It  was  this  practical  education  that  manifested 
itself  in  all  his  toil,  and  which,  to  a  great  degree, 
prepared  him  for  his  greatest  life  work  in  the  edi- 
torial chair. 

The  fact  that  he  was  forced  to  steer  a  raft  down 
the  rapid  streams  of  the  Alleghanies  compelled  him 
to  early  learn  the  lesson  of  close  application  to  his 
task,  for  a  wrong  move  or  a  thoughtless  moment 
might  have  meant  the  loss  of  the  entire  raft,  as  well 
as  his  own  life. 

In  his  school-days,  as  a  student,  he  was  direct  in 
his  thinking.  His  work  was  not  superficial,  as  he 
nev€r  rested  on  his  task  until  he  had  done  his  best 
to  reach  the  root  of  the  matter,  whether  it  was  in 
mathematics,  philosophy,  science,  or  religion.  His 
qualification  was  greatly  enhanced  by  a  strong 
memory,  that  enabled  him  to  retain  for  future  use  the 
information  which  he  had  gathered,  and  with  his 
analytical  mind  he  associated  everything  he  touched 
in  such  a  way  as  to  be  productive  in  his  thinking;  thus, 
as  a  student,  he  touched  every  field  of  inquiry,  some 
fields  technically,  others  in  a  more  general  way,  but  in 
each  case  thoroughly  to  the  extent  of  the  inquiry  made, 
so  that  his  conclusions  were  not  artificially  based  on 
assumption,  for  what  Doctor  Kephart  knew,  he  knew 
very  well. 

His  specific  educational  qualifications  have  been 
stated  in  another  chapter,  and  only  that  which 
relates  to  his  preparation  for  the  most  responsible 
position  that  he  held  in  his  life  is  here  considered. 
The  impression  grows,  as  we  study  the  great  service 
he    rendered    to    the    Church,    that    he    was    espe- 


138  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

cially  chosen  of  God  to  give  direction  to  the  thought 
of  the  Church  at  this  critical  time. 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  Doctor  Kephart 
to  turn  aside  from  editorial  work  and  write  a  poem, 
which  not  only  had  the  power  of  the  Muses  in  it, 
but  which  in  sentiment  and  lesson  was  exceptional. 

The  leadings  of  his  well-cultured  mind  caused 
him  often  to  write  his  opinion  on  such  questions  as 
"The  Relation  of  the  Stars  One  to  the  Other,"  "To 
the  Air,"  "Waves  of  Sound,"  etc.  Nor  was  he  a 
stranger  to  botany,  as  is  manifested  in  many  of  his 
editorials,  where  the  lessons  taught  from  this  field 
of  science  are  amplified.  His  knowledge  in  these 
lines  of  thought  gave  diversity  to  his  editorial 
writings. 

As  stated  before,  the  Church  was  in  turmoil  at 
the  time  he  assumed  the  work  of  editor.  He  was 
then  president  of  Westfield  College,  and  his  election 
came  to  him,  he  often  said,  as  a  great  surprise,  as 
he  did  not  know  that  any  one  was  thinking  of  him 
in  that  relation. 

His  debates  in  the  Telescope  in  previous  years, 
as  well  as  his  work  as  a  professor  and  president, 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  more  thoughtful 
members  of  the  General  Conference,  and  their  wis- 
dom, divinely  guided,  caused  them  to  make  no 
mistake  in  his  selection,  for  he  seemed  in  every  way 
fitted  for  his  work,  and  especially  on  account  of  the 
even  temper  of  his  spirit.  A  man  of  wonderful 
poise,  so  that,  in  crucial  moments,  when  great  agita- 
tions were  about  him,  he  seemed  able  to  quietly  do 
that  which  was  necessarv  to  be  done  without  excite- 


The  Editor  139 

ment.  Like  a  pilot  on  a  great  vessel  in  the  storm, 
when  all  the  passengers  on  board  are  excited,  he 
remains  calmly  at  his  post,  holding  the  old  ship 
against  the  billows  that  clash  and  threaten  its  very 
existence. 

Soon  after  his  election  the  great  legal  conflict 
began  that  threatened  every  general  interest  of  the 
Church,  and  affected  the  security  of  the  property  of 
every  local  congregation. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  his  first  editorial  on 
assuming  the  responsibility  of  this  position.  The 
following  is  his  salutatory : 

"  'Man  proposes  and  God  disposes.'  Having  been 
called  of  Him,  through  the  action  of  the  General 
Conference,  to  edit  your  paper,  I  desire,  on  entering 
upon  the  work,  to  extend  to  you  cordial,  hearty 
greetings,  as  well  as  to  bespeak  your  aid  and  for- 
bearance. Profoundly  do  I  realize  that  mine  is  no 
easy  task.  The  Telescope  occupies  a  high  posi- 
tion among  the  religious  periodicals  of  the  land. 
It  is  the  organ  of  the  Church  we  all  so  tenderly  love, 
and  for  the  prosperity  and  usefulness  of  which  we 
are  so  deeply  solicitous.  My  predecessor  has  served 
you  with  great  efficiency.  That  the  enterprise  ma)'^ 
not  deteriorate,  and  that  the  great  interests  at  stake 
may  be  promoted,  much  work  of  a  high  order  must 
be  done. 

"To  this  work  is  brought  a  keen  sense  of  the 
great  responsibility  of  the  position  and  an  abiding 
confidence  in  the  willingness  of  Almighty  God  to 
aid  all  faithful  workers  who  look  to,  and  confide  in 
him. 


140  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

"The  Religious  Telescope  is  not  my  paper,  but 
yours.  It  belongs  to,  and  must  voice  the  sentiments 
and  conserve  the  interests  of  the  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Its  mission  is  not  to 
thrust  upon  the  readers  of  its  columns  certain 
peculiar  or  personal  opinions,  prejudices,  or  prefer- 
ences, but  to  keep  Christ  before  the  people ;  to  warn 
the  sinner  of  his  danger,  and  point  him  to  Jesus  as 
his  only  hope;  to  comfort  and  edify  believers;  to 
defend  and  foster  the  interests  of  the  Christian 
church  in  general,  and  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  in  particular;  to  aid  pastors  in  their  great 
work ;  to  bless  the  homes  of  its  readers  by  bring- 
ing into  them  the  wholesome,  cheering  sunshine  of 
pure,  instructive  reading-matter;  to  strive  to  move 
men  up  to  a  higher,  holier  plane  of  Christian  activity 
by  showing  them  the  beauty,  the  importance,  the 
reward  of  such  a  life,  rather  than  by  censuring  them 
for  doing  wrong ;  to  strive  to  lead  the  masses  into 
the  right  way  by  showing  what  the  right  way  is, 
and  the  nobility  and  grandeur  of  walking  therein, 
rather  than  by  reproaching  the  wrong  way ;  to 
respect  the  opinions  and  teachings  of  the  religious 
and  secular  press ;  to  treat  with  becoming  courtesy 
all  branches  of  the  Christian  church,  all  professed 
Christians ;  as  far  as  possible,  consistent  with  self- 
respect  and  the  defense  of  vital  interests,  to  avoid 
assailing  or  seeking  controversy  with  enemies ;  to 
be  no  'striker,'  but  in  the  spirit  of  our  divine  Lord, 
to  be  an  ardent  defender  of  'the  faith  delivered  unto 
the  saints.' 

"The  key-note  of  the  gospel  is,  'I'eace  on  earth, 


The  Editor  141 

good  will  to  man' ;  and  now  that  the  questions  that 
have  agitated  our  beloved  Zion  have  been  settled 
by  the  vote  of  the  Church,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
time  has  come  for  controversy  to  cease.  Therefore, 
the  sentiment  of  my  heart  is,  'Let  us  have  peace.' 

"There  is  now  no  need  of,  nor  time  for  strife  with 
those  who  have  seen  fit  to  depart.  The  questions 
that  the  vote  of  the  Church  has  settled  cannot  be 
changed  by  word-battles.  Time  and  space  can  be 
more  profitably  employed  than  to  indulge  in  these. 
Such  important  interests — the  spirituality  of  the 
Church,  the  salvation  of  souls,  the  cause  of  missions, 
Christian  education — demand  special  attention,  and 
must  receive  it,  if  the  Church  is  to  go  forward  in 
her  Heaven-appointed  work.  This  leaves  but  little 
time  and  less  space  for  profitless  disputation  and 
'last  words.' 

"Impressed  with  these  thoughts,  I  say  to  you  all, 
and  from  the  depths  of  my  soul.  Pray  for  the  peace 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  aid  in  speeding 
the  answer  to  this  prayer  by  refusing  to  say  or  do 
anything  that  will  tend  to  provoke  controversy, 
abiding  in  the  assurance  that  they  shall  prosper  in 
their  soul-life  who  love  her  and  labor  for  her 
prosperity. 

"As  far  as  my  part  of  the  work  is  concerned,  as 
far  as  in  me  lieth,  God  being  my  helper,  the  Relig- 
ious Telescope  shall  accomplish  the  true  mission  of 
a  Christian  periodical ;  shall  be  true  to  the  highest 
legislative  and  judicial  authority  of  our  Zion.  The 
Church,  through  its  General  Conference,  selects  the 
editor  of  its  organ ;  and  duty,  loyalty  requires  that 


142  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

to  the  best  of  his  ability  he  perform  the  work 
allotted  to  him.  Should  a  difference  of  opinion  on 
his  part  stand  in  the  way  of  his  carrying  out  the 
will  of  the  Church,  honesty  and  manliness  would 
demand  that  he  decline  the  position,  or  having 
accepted  it,  resign. 

"Having  been  born,  reared,  converted  to  God,  and 
educated  in  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  I  am  heartily  in  accord  with  all  the  cardinal 
tenets  of  its  faith  and  its  church  polity;  and  it  shall 
be-  my  care  and  my  pleasure,  as  the  editor  of  its 
organ,  to  maintain  its  doctrines  and  promote  its 
prosperity. 

"Having  for  my  associate  him  who  has  so  faith- 
full}^  and  efficiently  served  you  as  assistant  editor 
for  the  last  eight  years,  will  be  of  inestimable  value 
to  me  and  to  you. 

"To  both  the  religious  and  the  secular  press,  I 
extend  cordial  greetings,  and  bespeak  for  myself 
their  kind  consideration,  and  for  my  work  their 
candid,  generous  criticism. 

"And  now,  brethren,  sisters,  friends,  devoutly 
invoking  God's  blessing  and  guidance,  and  sincerely 
requesting  that  your  editor  be  remembered  by  you 
in  your  daily  devotions,  and  therein  commended  to 
the  gracious  guidance  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  I 
say,  'Forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,' 
that  ought  to  be  forgotten,  let  us  go  forward  in 
obedience  to  the  command  of  Him  who  has  said, 
'Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.'  Before  our  Church  there  opens  up  a  wide 
field  of  usefulness.     May  the   King  of  kings  help 


The  Editor  143 

each  to  do  his  part  in  the  occupying  of  this  great 
field  to  the  glory  of  his  matchless  name." 

No  one  can  read  these  words  without  being  con- 
vinced that  a  sincere  heart  was  earnestly  assuming 
the  responsibility  of  the  hour,  and,  as  the  years 
passed,  this  sincerity  manifested  itself  more  and 
more. 

The  special  elements  that  entered  into,  and  mani- 
fested themselves  in  his  work  as  editor,  are : 

1.  Fruit  fulness.  His  management  of  the  Tele- 
scope marks  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  our  denomina- 
tion. This  is  said  without  any  reflection  upon  the 
work  of  his  predecessors.  Conditions  had  changed 
in  the  Church  ;  the  issues  which  had  been  uncertain 
were  now  distinctly  drawn,  and  possibilities  of  the 
Church  as  an  organization  appealed  to  his  liberal 
mind,  and  he  at  once  planned  his  work  with  a  view 
of  developing  the  latent  power  of  the  membership. 

While  not  claiming  leadership  in  this  matter,  for 
at  that  time  no  one  would  have  disputed  the  posi- 
tion of  leadership  with  that  princely  man,  Bishop 
J.  Weaver,  D.D.,  yet  Doctor  Kephart  never  failed 
to  second  any  onward  movement  that  would  create 
greater  activity  in  the  Church. 

It  was  the  period  of  reconstruction  and  reorgani- 
zation, and,  on  this  account,  the  Church  may  have 
erred  in  judgment  in  the  methods  used  in  some 
things ;  but  those  who  will  take  the  time  to  go  back 
through  the  files  of  the  Religious  Telescope  will  find 
a  clear  ring  of  advancement  in  every  expression  of 
the  pen  of  this  splendid  thinker. 

2.  Courage.     Prejudice  and  intense  feeling  were 


144  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

everywhere  manifested  during  the  beginning  years 
of  his  editorial  work.  Families  were  divided  on  the 
question  of  secrecy.  College  classmates,  friends 
from  childhood,  members  of  the  same  local  society 
were  arraigned  against  each  other  in  the  most  lios- 
tile  manner.  Charges  and  countercharges  were 
being  made  on  every  hand,  and,  as  editor  of  the 
Telescope,  Doctor  Kephart  was  in  the  center  of  the 
battle,  and  the  Publishing  House,  with  its  aggres- 
sive and  able  agent,  Dr.  W.  J.  Shuey,  whose  ear- 
nestness and  skill  manifested  itself  in  all  the  legal 
controversy  that  followed  the  division  in  1889, 
caused  this  institution,  as  Bishop  Castle  well  put  it, 
to  become  "the  storm-center  of  the  entire  Church." 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  with  conditions  as  they 
were,  that  the  man  who  has  to  determine  the  edi- 
torial policy  of  the  Telescope,  and  thus  lead  the 
thought  of  the  denomination,  would  need  courage? 
One  is  led  to  say,  in  the  words  of  Addison,  "The 
soul,  secured  in  her  existence,  smiles  at  the  drawn 
dagger  and  defies  its  point."  When  one  is  face  to 
face  with  bitter  charges  that  become  personal  in 
many  instances,  as  directed  against  the  editor,  it 
requires  courage  to  rise  above  these  conditions  and 
do  that  which  would  prove  a  blessing,  not  only  to 
the  Church,  but  to  humanity.  Doctor  Kephart  had 
character  back  of  his  courage.  Hence  the  shafts  of 
sarcasm  and  even  of  misrepresentation  did  not  move 
him  from  his  position. 

His  courage  was  ever  manifest,  for  he  was  not 
afraid  to  use  strong  terms  when  he  felt  they  were 
needful  in  order  to  convey  the  facts.    In  1890,  when 


The  Editor  145 

the  legal  contest  in  our  Church  was  being  waged 
with  vigor  by  the  seceders,  he  had  an  editorial  note 
under  the  heading,  "More  Falsifying,"  and,  in  his 
own  peculiar  but  drastic  manner,  he  wrote  the 
following  under  that  caption : 

"As  a  sample  of  the  falsehoods  circulated  through 
the  organ  of  the  seceders,  and  by  which  some  honest 
men  are  being  deceived  by  the  few  who  head  the 
Church  secession  movement,  we  call  attention  to 
their  assertion  that  the  General  Conference  of  1889 
left  the  Bible  out  of  the  course  of  reading  for 
preachers.  To  see  how  utterly  foundationless  this 
charge  is,  the  reader  need  but  refer  to  pages  80  and 
81  of  the  new  Discipline.  On  page  81,  under 
'Annual  Conference  Preachers,'  we  read  as  follows : 
'Licentiates  shall  be  examined,  also,  each  year  of 
their  probation,  on  the  Bible,  and  on  the  doctrine 
and  government  of  the  Church  as  taught  in  our 
Book  of  Discipline.' 

^  :^  ^  i^  i:^  -i*^  ^ 

"However,  the  editor,  on  being  informed  of  this, 
co^nes  out  in  his  last  issue  and  says,  'We  answer 
that  this  criticism  we  made  on  the  liberal  General 
Conference  of  1889  is  strictly  true.'  Thus,  in  the 
face  of  the  plainest  facts  to  the  contrary,  he  seeks 
to  make  his  readers  believe  that  the  General  Con- 
ference discarded  the  Bible.  Is  not  this  astonish- 
ing? Surely  the  cause  that  its  leaders  seek  to 
sustain  by  such  methods  is  doomed.  Who  can  help 
having  a  holy  contempt  for  such  a  self-seeking 
deceiver  and  falsifier?  Should  that  man  wince  and 
whine    about    the    use    of    'discourteous    language' 


146  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

when  he  is  told  plainly  that  he  is  playing  the  part 
of  a  deceiver,  hypocrite,  and  fraud?" 

IxK)king  back  through  the  years,  this  language  is 
certainly  heroic,  and  shows  the  courage  of  the 
writer. 

In  an  editorial  note  later,  under  the  title,  "More 
Twistification,"  Doctor  Kephart  shows  his  readi- 
ness to  meet  with  frankness  the  conditions  obtain- 
ing. He  states  in  this  editorial  the  position  of  the 
Radicals  in  the  testimony  given,  and  continuing, 
says:  "Suppose  their  membership  is  60,000.  Then 
it  is  five-seventeenths  of  the  membership  of  the 
Church  as  reported  in  the  Year  Book  for  1889.  If 
this  is  true,  then  their  accessions  to  the  Church 
should  number  five-seventeenths  of  the  whole  num- 
ber received.  The  accessions  reported  to  the  Tele- 
scope of  the  22d  and  29th  of  January  aggregate 
1,119,  and  the  accessions  to  the  seceders'  church 
reported  in  their  organ  of  the  same  dates  aggregate 
sixty  (we  do  not  count  any  that  are  only  reported 
as  converted  in  either  case),  which,  instead  of  being 
five-seventeenths  of  the  total  number  received,  as 
it  should  be  if  they  have  60,000  members,  is  only 
about  five-ninety-eighths  of  the  number  received. 
In  other  words,  if  they  (the  Radicals)  have  60,000 
members,  as  they  claim,  granting  that  their  minis- 
ters are  only  as  energetic  and  spiritual  as  ours, 
they  should  have  received  345,  and  we  1,119,  during 
the  two  weeks  reported ;  but  the  fact  is,  as  published 
in  their  organ,  they  have  only  sixty.  Is  not  this 
demonstrative  proof  that  even  their  claim  of  60,000 
members  is  a  gross  deception  and  fraud?" 


The  Editor  147 

3.  Sincerity.  Even  those  who  may  have  differed 
with  him  on  any  question  willingly  grant  to  him 
the  fact  that  he  was  sincere  in  his  belief.  In  his 
great  debate  with  Bishop  Weaver,  on  the  "Fore- 
knowledge of  God,"  he  undertook  to  argue,  first, 
with  a  giant  in  debate;  and  second,  chose  the  unpop- 
ular side  of  the  question,  permitting  himself  to  be 
adjudged  as  lacking  in  orthodoxy  in  order  that  he 
might  present  faithfully  and  earnestly  his  views 
upon  this  great  doctrine.  Few  men  would  have 
undertaken  to  argue  this  case,  but  Doctor  Kephart 
went  into  it  fearlessly,  believing,  as  he  did,  that  he 
was  doing  a  real  service  to  humanity  when  he  pre- 
sented his  advanced  views  on  this  subject. 

No  one  can  read  his  editorial  on  "God  with  Our 
Church,"  or  "Why  Our  Preachers  Fail,"  or  the  one 
on  "Prayer  for  Colleges,"  without  being  impressed 
that  underneath  the  expressions  found  in  these  able 
editorials  was  a  sincere  heart,  beating  in  absolute 
accord  with  the  truth  of  God,  thereby  adding  strength 
to  the  words  written. 

I  cannot  but  quote  the  words  of  Longfellow,  who 
says : 

"You  know  I  say 
Just  what  I  think;  and  nothing  more  nor  less, 
And  when  I  pray,  my  heart  is  in  my  prayer. 
I  cannot  say  one  thing  and  mean  another; 
If  I  can't  pray,  I  will  not  make  believe." 

Who  could  read  his  last  report  to  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  made  in  April  of  1908,  without  feeling  a 
peculiar  impression  as  to  the  sincerity  of  this  man 


148  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

as  he  did   his  work  in   connection   with   his  official 
relation  to  the  Church? 

"In  the  good  providence  of  God,  I  am  permitted 
to  submit  to  you  ni}^  nineteenth  annual  report  as 
editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope.  In  doing  so,  I 
desire  especially  to  acknowledge  my  gratitude  to 
our  merciful  Heavenly  Father  for  his  keeping  and 
sustaining  grace  through  another  year.  Truly,  'the 
mercy  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever.' 

;l!  *  *  *  *  >f:  * 

"My  relations  during  the  year  with  our  publish- 
ing agent,  with  my  associate,  with  all  the  other 
general  officers  in  the  House,  and  with  all  the 
employees  thereof  have  been  most  cordial  and 
pleasant.  Their  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy 
have  been  very  marked,  and  highly  esteemed  and 
appreciated.  They  all  have  my  love,  prayers,  and 
best  wishes. 

"But,  brethren,  the  shadows  lengthen.  I  am  now 
in  my  seventy-sixth  year.  My  life  has  ever  been 
one  of  hard,  earnest  toil  and  self-sacrifice.  God  has 
been  very  good  to  me.  I  have  much  for  which  to  be 
thankful,  and  nothing  of  which  to  complain.  If  I 
live  and  fill  my  present  position  until  a  year  from 
the  first  of  next  July,  I  shall  liave  served  in  this 
relation  twenty  years.  It  is  a  long  time  for  a  poor, 
fallible  editor  to  be  under  the  critical  eye  of  from 
fifty  to  seventy  thousand  discerning,  thinking 
American  readers.  When  that  time  comes,  oh,  how 
sweet,  pleasant,  and  refreshing  will  complete  release 
and  rest  be  to  a  tired  brain !  Then  I  shall  lay  down 
my  editorial  pen  to  take  it  up  no  more. 


The  Editor  149 

"My  present  solicitude,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned 
personally,  is  that  God  may  give  me  wisdom  and 
grace  so  to  round  out  this  small  remainder  of  my 
fifth  quadrennium  as  editor  as  to  be  able  to  retire 
from  the  office  with  a  conscience  void  of  ofiFense 
toward  God  and  man ;  and  to  this  end  I  devoutly 
solicit  your  sympathy  and  prayers." 

4.  Kindness.  To  deal  with  a  manuscript  sent  in 
for  publication,  determining  the  best  thing  for  the 
writer  and  for  the  reader,  is  often  embarrassing  for 
the  editor,  for  the  writer  may  be  a  personal  friend, 
or  the  opposite  condition  may  obtain.  The  subject- 
matter  of  the  article  may  be  such  as  to  preclude  its 
publication.  To  deal  justly  with  such  a  case 
requires  an  extra  amount  of  human  kindness.  It 
was  not  Doctor  Kephart's  policy  to  ruthlessly  cast 
aside  articles  as  they  came  in,  putting  them  in  the 
waste-basket  without  notice,  but  it  was  his  uniform 
rule  to  write  a  personal  letter  in  case  he  could  not 
use  the  production,  and,  in  the  most  frank  and 
kindly  way,  give  his  reasons  for  declining.  This  he 
did,  in  many  instances,  with  persons  who  were  not 
in  accord  with  his  conception  of  editorial  duties, 
yet  he  never  failed  to  write  to  them  kindly  and  give 
the  ground  of  his  decision.  His  sensitive  nature 
saw  the  needs  of  the  people,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of 
our  ministers,  on  the  other;  and,  in  going  through 
the  files  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  and  noting  the 
editorials  along  that  line,  it  is  interesting  to  see 
how,  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  writings,  he 
dealt  most  earnestly  with  the  conditions  of  the 
Church.      A    series    of     editorials,    under    the    title, 


150  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

"Epistle  of  Timeas,"  treated  on  the  subject  of 
"Homes  for  the  Pastors  of  Our  Church"  in  such  a 
wa}^  as  to  show  his  great  heart  of  sympathy  for  the 
toiling  ministry.  In  the  second  editorial  under  this 
title,  he  argues  with  great  earnestness  in  favor  of 
the  erection  of  parsonages,  and  says :  "My  breth- 
ren, have  you  no  interest  in  the  material  comfort  of 
these  homeless,  wandering  pilgrims  (and  in  a  very 
practical  sense,  they  are  homeless — not  houseless), 
and  that,  too,  for  your  sakes  and  the  sakes  of  your 
families  and  the  good  of  the  community  in  which 
you  live?  Multitudes  of  you  have  your  own  homes. 
Year  by  year  you  add  to  their  beauty  and  adorn- 
ment and  truly  enjoy  them,  sitting  under,  and  eating 
from  your  own  vine  and  fruit-tree,  none  daring  to 
molest  you  or  make  you  afraid  of  being  driven  out 
at  the  end  of  the  year.  This  an  itinerant  cannot 
have,  much  as  it  is  to  be  desired.  The  itinerant  is 
often  compelled  to  rent  an  old,  shabby  house  in  a 
very  unpleasant  location,  with  insufficient  room, 
dingy  and  poorly  arranged,  with  dilapidated  sur- 
roundings, such  as  he  regrets  to  take  his  family 
and  friends  to — such  as  many  of  us  members  would 
not  live  in  as  a  gift.  The  remedy  of  this  lies  in 
producing  a  suitable  parsonage  on  every  field  where 
it  can  be  done." 

From  week  to  week  there  was  found  in  his  edi- 
torials that  which  argued  in  favor  of  the  care  of  the 
needy  and  the  uplifting  of  the  oppressed.  He  stood 
stanch  and  strong  in  the  defense  of  the  weak,  and, 
as  a  molder  of  public  sentiment  in  our  Church,  he 
was  ready  to  assist  in  the  strengthening  of  the  weak 


The  Editor  151 

places  in  our  organized  life  in  order  that  more 
people  might  be  helped.  Thus  his  kindness  mani- 
fested itself  in  large  measure.  I  quote  the  words  of 
Wordsworth,  which  apply  with  great  force  to  this 
element  in  Doctor  Kephart's  work  as  an  editor: 

"That  best  portion  of  a  good  man's  life  is 
Little,  nameless,  unremembered  acts  of  kindness  and  of  love." 

5.  Progressiveness.  One  only  needs  to  study 
carefully  the  movements  of  the  Church  in  the 
twenty  years  of  service  that  he  rendered  to  see  how 
true  is  this  statement.  If  I  were  to  illustrate,  I 
would  go  back  to  1890,  when,  under  the  caption, 
"Presiding  Eldership,"  he  gives  a  vision  of  what 
the  Church  has  approved  in  this  day.  He  then 
describes  the  work  of  the  presiding  elder  in  such  a 
way  as  to  almost  outline  the  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities of  that  office  under  the  superintendency  as 
now  carried  out  in  many  conferences.  The  follow- 
ing is  his  own  statement : 

"In  another  cokimn  we  publish  what  a  layman 
has  to  say  on  this  subject.  The  position  he  takes  is 
an  extreme  one,  in  which  he  gives  only  one  side  of 
a  question  most  clearly  two-sided.  The  true  idea 
of  the  presiding  eldership  is  that  of  superintend- 
ency. Only  as  this  primary  and  distinctive  idea  is 
departed  from,  or  as  there  is  no  longer  any  place 
for  its  application,  can  the  eldership  be  deemed  a 
failure  or  unnecessary.  It  is  true  that  in  many 
places  the  work  of  the  presiding  elder  is  no  longer 
needed,  nor  is  it  especially  helpful.  But  this  does 
not  prove  that  the  offi.ce  and  work  of  the  presiding 


152  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

elder  conld  be  dispensed  with.  The  charges  where 
the  work  of  the  presiding  elder  is  not  needed  are 
the  exceptional  ones. 

"We  understood  our  correspondent,  Rev.  T.  D. 
Adams,  in  the  Telescope  of  November  27th  last, 
himself  a  presiding  elder,  to  favor  such  a  readjust- 
ment of  the  office  as  will  make  it  more  effective  in 
promoting  the  varied  interests  of  the  Church.  He 
outlined  his  ideas  of  modifying  existing  practices 
and  making  adjustments  suited  to  these  practical 
times,  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  for  more  wise 
and  aggressive  work.  Just  such  adjustments  we 
favor,  but  not  dispensing  with  the  office  or  work  of 
the  presiding  elder. 

"We  venture  the  assertion  that  there  is  not  a  con- 
ference in  the  Church  that  can  dispense  with  the 
office  of  presiding  elder  without  serious  loss.  It 
may  be  that  for  purposes  of  superintendence,  only 
one  presiding  elder  is  needed  in  a  conference ;  or 
when  conferences  are  small,  even  the  full  time  of 
an  elder  may  not  be  needed.  In  such  a  case  the 
extra  time  could  be  given  to  a  charge.  But  cer- 
tainly in  every  conference  there  is  needed  at  least 
one  man,  not  merely  to  conduct  communion  serv- 
ices, but  to  plan  for  opening  up  new  missions,  and 
for  strengthening  missions  already  established.  We 
know  presiding  elders  who  so  interpret  their  mis- 
sion. Strong,  well-organized  charges  receive  but 
little  attention,  while  those  having  young  and  inex- 
perienced ministers,  or  those  having  struggles  from 
debt  or  otherwise,  are  given  special  assistance. 
This  is  our  idea  of  the  presiding  eldership,  and  we 


Dr.  I.   L.   Kephart  as  he  Appeared  Dail\   al  lius   Ojjiet  Desk. 


.<. 


5- 


^0 


The  Editor  153 

believe  it  is  in  entire  harmony  with  its  original  idea 
and  appointment. 

"These  variations  and  adaptations  to  new  conditions 
and  the  growing  demands  of  the  Church  are  perfectly 
compatible  with  the  office.  Let  us  discriminate  wisely, 
hold  on  to  that  which  is  good,  and  only  put  away  from 
us  such  features  of  the  eldership  as  we  have  plainly 
outgrown." 

His  strong  stand  on  the  revision  question  did  much 
to  allay  feeling  and  quiet  conditions  in  our  denomina- 
tion, for  he  stood  for  the  broadest  view  in  relation  to 
conscience  on  the  question  of  secret  organizations,  and 
allowed  the  individual  to  reach  his  own  conclusions  in 
reference  to  these  matters.  This  progressive  step  aided 
much  toward  bringing  about  a  prosperous  condition  in 
the  life  of  the  Church. 

He  never  compromised  with  sin.  as  is  well  known. 
His  progressiveness  did  not  lead  him  to  tlie  place 
where  he  was  ready  to  give  up  fundamentals  in  order 
to  obtain  other  desired  results,  but,  if  it  were  a  matter 
of  individual  conscience,  he  was  ready  to  accord  to 
each  person  the  right  of  making  decision.  This  was 
very  helpful  in  the  reorganization  of  our  Church. 

When  it  came  to  the  time  for  special  efforts  in  favor 
of  education — looking  to  greater  things  for  our  educa- 
tional institutions — The  Telescope,  under  Doctor  Kep- 
hart,  always  opened  its  columns  for  the  freest  dis- 
cussion, and  at  the  same  time  his  own  pen  was  in  favor 
of  onward  movements. 

In  the  payment  of  all  the  debts  resting  upon  our 
general  interests  and  upon  the  colleges,  the  editor  was 
ready  to  second  all  of  these  splendid  undertakings.    So. 


154  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

in  the  division  of  the  work  of  "The  Home,  Frontier, 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  he  saw  the  good 
eflfect  of  such  a  move  and  gave  earnest  expression  in 
its  favor.  He  stood  not  as  a  conservative  brakeman 
upon  the  wheels  of  progress,  but  as  a  man  of  vision, 
ready  for  an  upward  movement  on  every  line  of  service 
in  the  kingdom. 

As  an  editor,  Doctor  Kephart  was  an  original  worker 
and  thinker.  He  was  not  afraid  to  express  his  opinion 
upon  the  questions  that  were  not  generally  discussed, 
showing  a  disposition  to  do  primary  thinking  that  is 
not  often  manifested.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
him  to  take  up  a  subject  that  had  not  been  discussed  in 
any  of  the  religious  papers  and  enter  upon  a  vigorous 
analysis  of  the  theme,  thus  attracting  to  the  work  of 
his  paper  the  attention  of  thinkers,  both  in  science  and 
philosophy,  as  well  as  in  the  religious  field.  His  articles 
under  the  subject,  "Science  and  Religion,"  and  kindred 
themes,  are  strong  in  their  original  research,  dealing, 
it  is  true,  with  much  that  was  common  on  the  subject, 
yet  going  beneath  the  ordinary  discussion  of  the  day, 
dealing  with  the  fundamentals,  thus  making  his  utter- 
ances on  these  subjects  of  great  worth.  Some  of  them 
will  be  found  in  the  closing  chapter,  where  his  own 
sayings  are  presented. 

When  one  reads  Doctor  Kephart's  original  editorials 
on  great  themes,  he  is  led  to  think  of  the  words  of 
Longfellow : 

"Great  men  stand  like  solitary  towers  in  the  City  of 
God,  and  secret  passages,  running  deep  beneath  eternal 
nature,  give  their  thoughts  intercourse  with  higher  in- 


The  Editor  155 

teiligence,  which  strengthens   and  consoles   them,   of 
which  the  laborers  on  the  surface  do  not  even  dream." 

Of  his  style,  it  can  be  said  that  it  was  his  own. 
Strong  and  peculiar  in  expression  were  all  his  writings. 
Clearness  was  evident  everywhere  in  his  declarations. 
None  could  mistake  his  meaning,  for  he  gave  expres- 
sion in  simple  language  so  there  could  be  no  misunder- 
standing of  his  thought.  Going  direct  to  the  point,  he 
presented  it  in  such  a  way  that  the  humblest  mind  could 
accept  it  or  reject  it,  as  the  case  might  be.  No  mystify- 
ing of  his  sentences ;  no  labored  effort  to  seem  strong 
in  expression  by  long,  complex  statements.  He  was  a 
short-sentence  man. 

There  were  two  other  elements  that  entered  into  his 
work  as  an  editor  that  were  very  acceptable — one  a 
poetic  turn  in  nearly  everything  that  he  said.  It  was 
not  a  difficult  thing  for  him  to  write  poetry.  Often, 
when  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  discussion, 
there  would  come  such  an  adjustment  of  words  that 
it  would  seem  that  he  was  about  to  break  forth  in  a 
poetic  strain.  It  added  beauty  and  strength  to  his 
utterances.  This  was  also  true  of  his  native  wit.  Had 
Doctor  Kephart  allowed  himself  to  follow  his  inclina- 
tions in  this  line,  he  could  have  been  the  editor  of  a 
comic  paper,  for  no  one  could  tell  an  amusing  story 
better  than  he,  and  no  one  delighted  more  than  he  in 
giving  merriment  to  those  about  him  by  some  witty 
expression,  or  amusing  incident. 


SPECIAL  TRAITS  OF 
CHARACTER 


"Humility  is  a  key  which  unlocks  the  door  to  many  a  favor, 
both  human  and  divine." 


VII. 
SPECIAL  TRAITS  OF  CHARACTER 


The  old  Latin  scholar  said,  "Things  perfected  by- 
Nature  are  better  than  those  furnished  by  art."  This 
is  especially  true  when  we  study  the  character  of  Isaiah 
L.  Kephart,  considering  every  element  that  entered  into 
his  splendid  life. 

He  has  not  left  us  any  special  motto  that  governed 
him  in  his  conduct,  but  one  thing  is  certain,  that  his 
control  of  body  and  mind,  as  well  as  soul  development, 
indicated  a  firmness  of  character  akin  to  that  which  is 
found  in  the  great  worthies  of  history.  The  mott©  of 
Viscount  Hereford  stands  out  in  vivid  brightness  when 
one  studies  his  life,  for  he  was  wont  always  to  say, 
"Basis  virtutum  constantia  est"  ("Steadiness  is  the 
foundation  of  all  virtue").  This  was  certainly  true  as 
applied  to  the  life  of  Editor  Kephart. 

The  whole  of  the  pilgrimage  of  his  life  was  spent  in 
earnest  toil,  being  possessed  of  a  fine  physical  constitu- 
tion, a  body  that  defied  disease  on  the  one  hand,  and 
was  so  completely  under  control,  on  the  other,  that  he 
was  permitted  to  do  great  service  in  whatever  position 
he  was  placed.  As  the  body  is  the  tenement  in  which 
resides  the  soul,  it  is  important  that  it  be  as  nearly  per- 
fect as  possible  in  order  that  the  greatest  results  may 
obtain  in  the  spiritual  life  of  the  individual. 


160  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Doctor  Kephart  stood  as  an  example  of  physical 
strength  and  endurance.  Without  a  perfect  body  one 
would  not  be  able  to  pass  through  hardships  where 
physical  endurance  is  demanded.  In  the  early  periods 
of  his  life,  roughing  it  in  the  lumber  camp,  and  in  sub- 
sequent time  passing  through  the  ordeals  of  army  life, 
he  came  out  of  these  seasons  of  special  physical  strain 
without  any  abiding  injury  to  the  splendid  body  he 
possessed.  The  reason  for  all  this  is  found  in  two 
things :  First,  he  came  from  good  parentage ;  and, 
second,  he  took  extraordinary  care  of  his  body, 
for  he  looked  upon  this  as  a  necessity.  He  was 
not  ashamed  to  say  that  he  could  or  could  not 
do  a  certain  thing,  nor  did  he  pollute  the  temple 
of  the  soul  by  the  use  of  narcotics  or  intoxi- 
cating liquors.  He  was  careful  in  his  mode  of  life, 
plain,  but  a  good  liver,  and  in  that  particular  developed 
rather  than  destroyed  the  physical  tissue  that  was  to 
serve  him  so  well  through  the  seventy-five  or  more 
years  of  his  life's  journey.  The  attending  physician 
and  the  specialist  who  attended  him  in  his  last  illness 
spoke  of  his  well-preserved  body.  At  seventy-five 
years  there  was  no  organic  trouble. 

Some  one  has  said,  so  truthfully,  that  the  soul  is  but 
the  body's  guest,  and  the  influence  of  the  body  upon 
the  soul  life  is  so  manifest  in  the  case  of  Doctor  Kep- 
hart that  one  cannot  but  realize  the  importance  of  the 
relationship  existing  between  the  two,  the  human  and 
the  divine. 

As  an  example  in  the  care  of  his  body,  it  would  be 
well  for  every  minister  to  know  something  of  his 
methodical  mode  of  life.     He  was  unwilling  to  put  his 


Special  Traits  of  Character  161 

body  to  an  unnecessary  strain  unless  it  be  an  emer- 
gency; otherwise  he  guarded  carefully  his  physical 
strength  in  order  that  he  might  endure  continued  serv- 
ice and  close  life  in  a  rounded-out  old  age  in  complete 
enjoyment  of  health.  This  was  true  of  him  to  a  marked 
degree. 

Having  the  right  conception  of  the  relation  of  body 
to  soul,  he  made  the  body  the  servant  to  do  the  will  of 
the  higher  Nature  within  him,  thus  accomplishing  the 
greatest  possible  results  in  his  life. 

In  the  care  of  his  body  the  words  of  the  poet  apply : 

"For  of  the  soul  the  body  form  doth  take ; 
For  soul  is  form,  and  doth  the  body  make." 

In  view  of  the  wonderful  control  of  his  physical  being, 
it  is  natural  that  we  should  call  attention  to  his  clear- 
mindedness  in  his  work.  His  reasoning  was  always 
without  obstruction  ;  so  pronounced  were  his  views  that 
his  thought  stood  out  prominent  in  all  that  he  wrote  or 
said.  He  was  not  in  doubt  on  any  proposition  on  which 
he  gave  utterance.  His  mind  seemed  much  like  the 
clear  spring  of  water,  without  a  trace  of  impurity.  In 
the  mountains  near  his  childhood  home  are  found 
springs  of  water  into  which  you  may  look  for  many, 
many  feet  without  detecting  even  a  shadow  of  impurity. 
Doctor  Kephart's  mind  seemed  to  be  just  that  way,  and 
as  he  thought  upon  great  themes  there  came  forth  clear 
expressions,  bringing  out  his  ideas  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  impress  one  with  the  beauty  of  a  clear  intellect. 

Thus  he  was  looked  upon  by  all  who  knew  him  inti- 
mately as  a  man  of  good  judgment.  He  seldom  reached 
a  conclusion  suddenly,  but  was  always  ready  to  reason 


162  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

around  the  subject.  It  is  certainly  true  that  the  purity 
of  his  soul  life  affected  the  mental  attainments  which 
he  possessed,  so  free  from  everything  that  was  hidden, 
or  dark,  or  mean,  that  his  frankness  was  uninterrupted 
by  any  evil  thought  or  purpose. 

How  true  the  statement,  "  'T  is  the  mind  that  makes 
the  body  rich,  and  as  the  sun  breaks  through  the  darkest 
clouds,  so  honor  peereth  into  the  meanest  habit."  So 
unobstructed  was  his  intellectual  vision  that  he  could 
see  with  undimmed  eyes  into  problems  that  staggered 
the  intellectual  strength  of  many  of  his  associates.  So 
responsive  was  his  intellectual  hearing  that  he  could 
discern  the  whisperings  of  divine  purposes  when  no  one 
else  about  him  seemed  to  be  conscious  of  coming 
events.  Thus  he  stood  a  prophet,  predicting  good 
when  others  were  in  amazement  and  wonder  as  to  the 
outcome  of  conditions. 

This  was  especially  manifested  when,  as  chaplain  in 
the  army,  he  stood  amid  the  crashing  thunder  of  can- 
non, declaring  that  the  right  would  prevail,  and  that 
the  Union  would  be  saved  from  disruption. 

Another  element  in  his  character  was  the  fact 
that  he  had  no  unworthy  ambition.  Ambition  he  had, 
for  purpose  cannot  manifest  itself  without  it,  but  it  can 
be  said  of  Doctor  Kephart  that  his  ambition  was  to 
advance  his  Master's  kingdom,  and  while  he  had  an 
ambition  for  knowledge  and  swept  the  inner  chambers 
of  research  for  information,  yet  his  greatest  desire  was 
to  know  Him  who  was  his  soul's  Redeemer,  and 
find  in  his  service  the  delight  that  would  make  for  him 
an  everlasting  salvation  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Doctor  Kephart  believed  firmly  in  the  statement  of 


special  Traits  of  Character  163 

Channing,  who  said,  "Every  mind  was  made  for 
growth,  for  knowledge,  and  its  nature  is  sinned  against 
when  it  is  doomed  to  ignorance."  The  ambition  of  our 
departed  friend  was  to  have  an  unHmited  knowledge  of 
the  truth  of  God,  and  he  subjugated  everything  about 
him  to  the  attainment  of  that  truth.  His  determined 
purpose  was  to  do  well  his  work,  and  if  in  the  doing  of 
that  work  there  was  brought  to  him  certain  emolu- 
ments, such  as  position  or  honor,  he  was  not  uncon- 
scious of  the  value  of  these  things,  nor  was  he  cold  in 
appreciation  of  the  good  opinion  of  those  who  were 
about  him.  It  was  his  desire  that  men  think  well  of 
him,  and  his  ambition  was  not  wrong  in  this,  for  he 
sought  to  strengthen  himself  in  the  service  of  truth  by 
avoiding  antagonisms  that  would  drive  men  away  from 
him,  and  from  the  Christ  whom  he  especially  delighted 
to  honor.  There  was  a  desire  in  his  heart  to  make 
advancement,  and  I  believe  that  the  statement  of  Car- 
lisle, "No  man  is  born  without  ambitious  worldly 
desires,"  was  true  in  the  life  of  Doctor  Kephart;  but 
the  best  part,  as  it  relates  to  his  purposes  and  desires, 
was  that  he  sought  advancement  for  himself  under  the 
impulse  of  doing  more  and  accomplishing  more  for  the 
development  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
world.  Surely  no  one  could  contest  his  position  in 
that  particular.  A  wrong  ambition  becomes  a  sail  that 
carries  men  into  the  WTong  port  or  haven.  "Wild  am- 
bition loves  to  slide,  and  fortune's  ice  prefers  to  nature's 
land,"  but  not  so  in  the  case  of  our  subject.  He  pre- 
ferred to  find  satisfaction  in  ambition's  field  by  planting 
his  feet  upon  the  adamantine  rock  of  ages,  and,  stand- 
ing amid  opposition  and  trouble  and  care,  holding  up 


164  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

the  beacon  light  of  truth,  that  men  everywhere  might 
know  the  power  of  a  Christ  that  is  able  to  control  the 
soul,  filled  with  worthy  ambition. 

Doctor  Kephart  was  full  of  determination.  There 
was  in  him  that  which  enabled  him  to  go  straight 
through  to  the  goal ;  it  mattered  not  what  intervened. 
It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  have  a  fixed  purpose  ;  having 
thought  out  the  whole  subject,  to  set  about  in  a  syste- 
matic way  to  reach  the  end  in  view.  Here  determina- 
tion does  its  work.  Goethe  says,  "He  who  is  firm  in 
will  molds  the  world  to  himself."  Like  Jonathan  of 
old,  when  he  determined  with  his  own  lone  armor- 
bearer  to  fight  the  Philistines,  the  crags  and  peaks  that 
were  before  him  had  no  determent  for  him,  but  on 
hands  and  knees,  if  necessary,  he  would  reach  the  posi- 
tion where  God  Almighty  might  manifest  his  power  to 
save  by  the  many  or  the  few.  So  Doctor  Kephart 
viewed  the  situation,  w^hatever  it  may  have  been,  and, 
having  reached  a  conclusion  as  to  the  place  he  ought 
to  occupy,  at  once  proceeded  to  take  his  stand  without 
reference  to  the  position  of  any  one  else.  This  made 
him  especially  strong  as  a  leader  among  men ;  not  out- 
spoken, not  self-assertive  in  his  leadership,  but  one  to 
whom  others  would  go  for  counsel  and  advice.  One 
cannot  but  admire  the  individual  who  with  a  deter- 
mined will  brings  every  energy  and  strength  to  bear 
upon  a  given  enterprise  or  service.  Thus  Napoleon, 
Alexander,  Wesley,  and  Luther  each  in  their  peculiar 
positions  determined  and  then  wrought  out  in  life  their 
purposes ;  so  Doctor  Kephart,  while  in  a  different  field, 
yet  in  just  as  important  a  sense  in  his  relation  to 
humanitv,  willed  in  accordance  with   the   purpose  of 


special  Traits  of  Character  165 

God,  and  certainly  terminated  his  life  amid  the  glory  of 
a  victorious  triumph.  "The  general  of  a  great  army 
may  be  defeated,  but  you  cannot  defeat  the  determined 
mind  of  a  peasant." 

A  special  element  characteristic  in  his  life 
was  found  in  his  supreme  loyalty  to  the  right  and 
to  the  eflforts  of  the  right.  The  first  question  he 
asked  was,  'Ts  it  right,  or  is  it  wrong?"  Upon 
that  proposition  depended  his  attitude  in  any  given 
question  that  might  arise,  affecting  his  life  or  his 
service  in  the  position  that  he  may  have  been  occu- 
pying. If  he  made  a  mistake,  it  was  a  mistake  of 
judgment  as  to  what  he  thought  was  right.  His 
loyalty  to  the  truth  of  God  forced  him  out  so  far 
on  that  side  of  every  social  and  political  and  relig- 
ious question  that  afifected  the  conduct  of  the  people, 
that  some  looked  upon  him  as  fanatical.  This  was 
true  in  his  relation  to  the  institution  of  slavery,  and 
his  awful  hatred  of  the  liquor  trafifiic,  and  municipal 
and  State  and  National  dishonesty.  No  word  too 
strong  could  be  found  that  he  would  not  utter  at 
any  time  and  at  any  place  against  what  he  consid- 
ered to  be  an  evil,  and  the  supporters  of  all  things 
righteous,  whatever  may  have  been  their  personal 
weaknesses  or  imperfections,  were  considered  by 
him  as  friends,  and  he  stood  for  them  under  all  con- 
ditions. Thus  it  was  natural  for  him  to  sing  the 
praises  of  John  Brown  of  slavery  times,  and  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  the  one  great  patriot  who  stood 
for  the  liberty  of  men,  and  for  every  preacher  of  the 
gospel  of  righteousness  in  civil  and  municipal 
affairs,  and  for  every  agency  and  power  and  indi- 


166  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

vidual  who  was  willing  to  put  up  a  fight  against  the 
accursed  liquor  traffic.  Thus  with  voice  and  pen  he 
stood  for  every  reform  and  every  reformer,  seeking 
to  make  them  his  own  personal  friends,  because  of 
their  attitude  toward  the  right. 

Doctor  Kephart  realized  that  "truth  is  sensitive 
and  jealous  of  the  least  encroaching  upon  its  sacred- 
ness,"  and  therefore  he  was  ready  to  give  earnest 
support  to  the  right  under  all  circumstances.  As  a 
result  of  this  attitude  on  his  part,  he  gained  strength 
from  year  to  year  as  a  defender  of  the  right.  How 
true  the  words  of  Carlyle,  who  said,  "A  man  pro- 
testing against  error  is  on  the  way  toward  uniting 
himself  with  all  men  that  believe  in  truth."  Hence 
Doctor  Kephart  emphasized  the  fact  that  he  was 
in  accord  with  the  great  army  of  individuals  who 
were  battling  against  error. 

Another  element  in  his  character  was  the  purity 
of  his  personal  life.  It  is  true  that  conscience  is 
stronger  than  intellect,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  spirit 
of  God  makes  its  impression  directly  upon  the  con- 
science, and  the  conscience  discerns  more  quickly 
than  the  intellect  that  which  is  good  and  pure  and 
right.  All  this  has  to  do  with  the  personal  life  of 
the  individual ;  the  innate  conception ;  the  fountain 
of  action  ;  the  determination  to  do  the  pure  thing  on 
account  of  his  own  relation  to  it.  Doctor  Kephart 
did  this  on  all  occasions,  standing  without  question 
in  his  relation  to  his  own  personal  life,  living  it  in 
purity  before  man.  As  I  saw  him,  he  fulfilled  that 
wonderful  statement  of  Froude,  who  declared, 
"Morality,  when  vigorously  alive,   sees   farther   than 


Special  Traits  of  Character  167 

intellect  and  provides  unconsciously  for  intellectual 
difficulties."  Thus  we  see  this  godly  man  standing  in 
the  personal  purity  of  his  own  life  a  tower  of  strength 
for  truth  and  righteousness.  True  to  himself,  he 
went  forth  to  lead  others  into  the  way  of  right 
living.  While  Emerson  did  not  manifest  great 
faith  in  religious  things,  yet  he  uttered  a  marvel- 
ous and  divine  truth  when  he  said,  "When  life 
is  true  to  the  poles  of  nature,  the  streams  of 
truth  will  roll  through  us  in  song."  This  was  espe- 
cially true  as  a  trait  of  character  in  the  life  of  Dr. 
Isaiah  L.  Kephart.  His  personal  purity  distin- 
guished him  from  the  common  run  of  men.  His  life 
was  an  open  book,  a  piece  of  white  paper  on  whicl? 
he  was  writing  the  record  of  the  years.  He  dis 
dained  a  little  thing;  he  would  not  do  a  mean  act. 
There  was  no  occasion  for  apology  on  his  part  for 
having  discredited  his  own  manhood.  What  a 
splendid  record  in  personal  purity  of  life,  stainless 
in  every  particular.  An  example  of  what  a  man 
can  be,  if  he  will,  in  his  own  conscious  relation  to 
God  and  to  the  world  about  him.  Like  other  men  in 
disposition,  yet  with  absolute  control  of  his  own 
life,  he  fashioned  it  in  perfect  accord  with  his 
Father's  will. 

Another  element  is  found  in  his  character  that  is 
kin  to  the  one  I  have  just  described.  He  was  very 
strong  in  his  family  life.  The  ties  that  bound  him 
to  his  home  were  as  bands  of  steel.  No  condition 
could  separate  him  or  cause  him  to  turn  away  from 
his  household.  He  was  ever  and  again  saying  to 
those  with  whom  he  was  associated,  "My  home  is 


168  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

my  castle."  He  made  his  house  in  which  his  loved 
ones  dwelt  a  veritable  fortress  of  defense  against  all 
who  might  assail.  It  was  his  delight  to  open  before 
his  children  possibilities  in  development  of  character 
and  intellect,  and  son  and  daughter  were  given  the 
very  best  opportunities  for  culture.  It  was  not  a 
question  to  him  of  accumulation  of  money,  that  they 
might  be  financially  independent  of  the  world,  but 
rather  that  they  should  have  knowledge,  have  it  in 
accord  with  the  Word  of  God,  in  order  that  their 
lives  might  be  united  to  the  very  source  of  power, 
which  was  above  all  material  honor  or  wealth.  His 
home,  therefore,  was  the  place  where  he  had  fellow- 
ship with  his  loved  ones,  and  where  he  entered  into 
their  lives  in  such  a  manner  as  to  become  a  companion 
for  his  children.  This  was  marked  in  his  life,  and 
when  he  entered  the  homes  of  his  friends,  the  children 
of  the  household  would  gather  about  him  to  hear  him 
give  reminiscences  of  his  eventful  life,  or  to  philoso- 
phize on  some  phase  of  youthful  experience  manifested 
in  his  own  life,  or  which  might  be  reckoned  in  the  lives 
of  those  who  were  about  him.  Thus  he  stood  the 
companion  of  childhood,  an  element  in  his  life  that 
made  him  exceptionally  strong. 

He  had  written  down  among  his  papers,  marked 
in  quotations,  the  following  words: 

"Home  is  the  resort 
Of  life,  of  joy,  of  peace,  and  plenty;    tliere, 
Supporting  and  supported,  polished  friends 
And  dear  relations  mingle  with  bliss." 

Doctor  Kephart  was  a  real  wit.     An  element  in 


Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart  and  his  Intimate  Friend,  John  D.  Gill 


Editor  KepharVs  Home  in  Dayton,  ()i6  N.  Main  Street. 


special  Traits  of  Character  169 

his  soul  seemed  to  see  the  funny  side  of  life.  He 
was  able  to  turn  away  from  the  heaviest  discussion, 
or  lay  down  his  pen  when  he  had  just  finished  a 
laborious  editorial  task,  and  in  a  moment's  time  be 
in  convulsions  of  laughter  over  the  recital  of  some 
funny  incident,  either  real  or  imaginary.  Cowper 
says,  "Wit  now  and  then,  struck  smartly,  shows  a 
spark."  So  in  his  case ;  every  now  and  then,  at 
unexpected  moments,  there  would  come  such  a  keen 
spark  of  wit  as  to  almost  surprise  the  listener.  It 
was  not  uncustomary  for  him  to  write  many  of 
the  amusing  incidents  which  occurred  in  his  early 
school-days  and  army  life.  Doctor  Kephart  well  un- 
derstood that  "wit  is  the  salt  of  conversation,  not 
the  food,"  and  his  imagination  was  so  vivid,  his 
imagery  so  genuine,  that  he  became  a  faultless  story- 
teller, and  hence  a  most  acceptable  after-dinner 
speaker.  On  one  occasion,  he  used  the  quotation, 
"Wit  does  not  take  the  place  of  knowledge."  It  was 
certainly  true  in  his  case  that  wit  never  took  the 
place  of  knowledge,  but  the  combination  of  the  two 
— wit  and  knowledge — made  him  exceptionally 
strong  in  the  presentation  of  truth,  for  there  was 
always  a  moral  connected  with  his  wit,  and  any  nar- 
ration of  an  amusing  story  or  incident  had  applica- 
tion to  some  vital  truth. 

One  of  the  strongest  traits  in  the  character  of 
Doctor  Kephart  was  his  patriotism.  He  could 
truthfully  quote  the  words  of  another,  and  say,  "We 
join  ourselves  to  no  party  that  does  not  carry  the 
flag  and  keep  step  to  the  music  of  the  Union."  His 
heart    and    his    very   soul    beat   with    emotions    of 


170  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

patriotism  and  loyalty.  When  Lincoln,  in  that 
memorable  speech,  said,  "This  nation,  under  God, 
shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom,  .  .  .  and 
that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
for  the  people  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth,"  his 
words  found  a  perfect  echo  in  the  heart  of  the  young, 
energetic  chaplain  of  the  regiment.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  enlist  in  defense  of  his  country,  even  in 
the  presence  of  bright  prospects  in  his  ministerial 
life.  If  there  was  one  thing  that  he  desired  above 
another,  it  was  that  the  Government  at  Washington 
might  stand  forever,  pure  in  its  administration,  the 
defender  of  liberty,  and  the  preserver  of  the  homes 
of  the  brave. 

Doctor  Kephart  was  an  independent  thinker,  and 
as  such  was  free  to  express  his  own  opinions  upon 
any  subject  that  might  present  itself  to  him.  He 
was  not  biased  by  any  preconceived  notions  of 
education.  If  he  found  himself  wrong  in  his  pre- 
vious conclusions,  he  was  willing  to  make  rigid 
investigation  to  solve  the  mystery  surrounding  him. 
"Men's  thoughts  are  much  according  to  their  incli- 
nations," and,  in  the  case  of  Doctor  Kephart,  he  was 
ready  to  go  over  the  field  again  and  again,  if  there 
was  any  shadow  of  a  doubt  in  reference  to  the  mat- 
ter in  hand.  There  was  something  peculiar  about 
him  as  he  unfolded  in  mental  attainment.  His  inde- 
pendence in  thought  caused  him  to  grow,  and,  as 
has  been  said,  growing  thought  makes  growing 
revelations.  Thus  he  stood  as  one  who  had  come 
out  of  a  valley  into  a  clear  and  open  plain,  and 
Emerson's  words  apply  to  him  with  special  empha- 


special  Traits  of  Character  171 

sis,  "Every  thought  which  genius  and  piety  throw 
into  the  world  alters  the  world."  His  character- 
istics sparkle  as  diamonds  of  rare  brilliancy,  as 
stars  that  never  will  grow  dim,  the  light  of  which 
shall  shine  down  through  the  centuries,  and  on  the 
heaven  side  will  be  strong  reflectors  of  the  beauty 
of  the  King. 


RELATION  TO  SOCIETY 


"The  true  moral  hero  is  the  man  who,   despite  opposition 
and  abuse,  goes  quietly  forward  in  the  discharge  of  duty." 


VIII. 
RELATION  TO  SOCIETY 


No  one  defended  the  principle  of  the  equality  of  all 
men  more  earnestly  than  did  Doctor  Kephart.  Birth 
or  position  had  little  or  no  influence  with  him.  He 
stood  squarely  on  the  assumption  that  all  men  were 
born  free  and  each  had  a  right  to  a  chance  in  the  de- 
velopment of  character.  The  following  is  a  declara- 
tion of  his  own  position  on  the  absolute  freedom  of 
the  individual  to  determine  his  own  destiny. 

"In  one  important  particular  God  made  man  the 
equal  of  himself.  He  made  him  a  free  moral  agent — 
free  to  obey  the  laws  of  his  being  and  thereby  be 
happy,  or  to  violate  those  laws  and  be  miserable ;  and 
he  made  him  thus  free  because  it  was  not  possible  to 
make  the  highest  form  of  earthly  intelligence  without 
giving  him  this  freedom.  Man's  freedom  is  not  a  uni- 
versal, but  a  limited  freedom.  He  is  not  free  to  violate 
the  physical  and  moral  laws  of  his  being  and  remain 
innocent  or  exempt  from  the  penalties  attached  to  these 
laws,  but  is  only  free  to  choose  between  obeying  and 
being  happy  and  disobeying  and  being  miserable. 
In  this  particular  he  must  be  perfectly  free  to  choose 
and  act  for  himself  or  he  is  only  a  machine." 

Doctor  Kephart  did  not  believe  that  one  man  should 
control  another,  for  he  believed,  as  he  said :  "God  him- 
self does  not  coerce  the  human  conscience,  but  allows, 
as  in  religious  or  political  tribunal,  the  right  to  do  so. 


176  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

A  man  is  rightly  amenable  to  the  law  for  his  deeds,  but 
his  opinions  are  his  own."  Continuing,  he  said:  "Free- 
dom of  the  will  endows  man  with  the  power  to  form 
and  to  carry  any  habit  through  life  and  through  eter- 
nity. He  can  load  himself  from  the  cradle  to  the 
grave  with  all  manner  of  meanness  and  then  pass  out 
into  the  eternal  world,  all  weighted  down  with  it,  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  can,  aided  by  divine  grace,  cast 
off  the  'old  man  with  his  lust,'  and  put  on  a  character 
beautiful  and  glorious  because  of  his  loyalty  to  the 
will  of  God,  and  carry  it  with  him  into  the  mansions 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 

It  is  true  that  Doctor  Kephart  stood  firmly  upon 
law  as  a  necessity  to  human  society,  to  regulate  human 
conduct,  but  law  was  not  an  end,  but  a  means  to  an 
end.  In  giving  a  definition  of  "freedom,"  he  said, 
"Freedom  alone  affords  man  room  to  grow  up  into, 
and  become  worthy  of  trust  and  honor."  There  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  his  stand  on  all  sociological  lines, 
being  in  absolute  accord  with  the  teachings  of  the 
Word  of  God.  He  believed  in  liberty,  but  he  as  sin- 
cerely believed  in  the  regulation  of  human  conduct  and 
the  placing  of  limitations  about  the  word  "liberty." 
The  following  paragraphs  show  distinctively  his  belief 
on  that  subject: 

"  'Liberty'  is  a  many-sided  word.  Liberty  to  steal  is 
quite  different  from  liberty  to  serve  God.  Liberty  to 
serve  my  country  is  one  kind  of  liberty ;  liberty  to 
destroy  it  is  another.  Liberty  to  labor  for  and  build 
up  the  cause  of  Christ  is  a  noble  thing;  liberty  to 
divide  and  destroy  the  church  to  gratify  selfish  ends 
and  unliolv  ambitions  is  a  kind  of  Hbertv  that  comes 


Relation  to  Society  177 

from  the  devil.  All  men  are  entitled  to  liberty  to  do 
right  and  to  enjoy  their  rights.  God  gives  no  man 
liberty  to  do  wrong." 

"Liberty  does  not  mean  merely  the  people's  right  to 
strive  with  each  other  for  material  gain  or  intellectual 
superiority,  nor  is  it  merely  the  protection  of  men  from 
each  other  in  social  antagonisms ;  but  it  means,  rather, 
their  right  and  their  freedom  to  associate  with  each 
other  in  social  sacrifice  for  the  good  and  happiness 
of  others.  This  is  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  makes 
men  free." 

"He  who  pleases  to  do  right  has  a  right  to  do  as 
he  pleases." 

"Liberty  is  a  prime  condition  of  true  conviction  and 
repentance.  He  who  is  not  free  cannot  be  guilty ;  he 
who  is  not  guilty  cannot  stand  convicted  at  the  bar  of 
his  own  conscience ;  he  who  cannot  stand  convicted  at 
the  bar  of  his  own  conscience  cannot  repent." 

While  Doctor  Kephart  held  tenaciously  for  the  en- 
forcement of  law,  no  one  was  more  ready  to  grant  to 
the  erring  one  an  opportunity  to  retrieve  his  lost  estate 
by  turning  away  from  his  errors  and  following  that 
which  was  good.  With  him  every  man  was  given  a 
chance.  Indeed,  he  was  ready  to  accept  the  confession 
of  any  one  who  had  been  a  prodigal  son  and  had  re- 
turned with  earnest  penitence  and  confessed  his  wrong- 
doing. The  following  terse  statement  will  show  his 
belief  in  the  liberty  of  every  man  to  succeed  in  life : 
"Looking  back  at  opportunities  unimproved  and  for- 
tunes squandered  will  not  relieve  present  want  nor 
provide  for  future  necessities.  The  brave  thing  to  do 
is  to  recognize  the  present,  with  all  its  needs  and  re- 


178  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

sponsibilities,  and,  with  the  face  to  the  future,  go  to 
work  Hke  a  man  and  do  the  very  best  that  can  be  done 
under  the  circumstances,  and  trust  God.  Also,  im- 
proving opportunities  works  wonders  in  the  direction 
of  improving  the  improver." 

In  keeping  with  what  has  just  been  said  in  connec- 
tion with  his  belief  in  the  eqviality  of  all  men  and  his 
strong  position  on  law,  are  his  utterances  on  the  sub- 
ject of  slavery.  In  an  article  written  in  1873,  en- 
titled, "The  Nation  Rushing  to  Its  Red  Sea,"  Doctor 
Kephart  gives  a  glowing  contrast  between  conditions 
under  Pharaoh  and  the  conditions  then  obtaining  in 
our  Government.  After  recounting  the  slavery  of  the 
Hebrews  in  Egypt,  he  turns  to  the  condition  in  our 
own  country  and  says : 

"I  do  not  wish  to  assume  the  attitude  of  an  alarmist, 
nor  do  I  wish  to  'prophesy  evil,'  but  inspiration  says 
that  the  blood  of  the  people  shall  be  required  at  the 
hands  of  that  watchman  who,  seeing  the  sword 
approaching,  fails  to  give  the  alarm.  It  was  only  when 
the  fathers  of  the  republic  had  pledged  themselves  to 
the  grand  principle  that  'all  men  are  created  equal,' 
that  the  Ruler  of  all  crowned  with  success  their  efforts 
to  establish  an  independent  nation.  But  shortly  after 
the  recognition  of  the  nation's  individuality,  it  proved 
false  to  its  plighted  faith.  In  an  evil  hour  it  yielded  to 
the  entreaties  and  threatenings  of  Liliputian  despots, 
and  there  sprang  into  existence  that  strongest  of  all 
anomalies,  the  toleration  of  the  blackest  system  of  des- 
potism by  a  nation  claiming  to  believe  that  all  men 
are  by  nature  equal.  This  vile  monster,  then  and  there 
enthroned,  gradually  increased  in  influence  and  power 


Relation  to  Society  179 

until,  at  the  end  of  three-quarters  of  a  century,  it  had 
almost  complete  control  of  the  nation,  and  four  mil- 
lions of  human  beings  groaned  beneath  the  most  crush- 
ing and  the  most  hopeless  yoke  of  oppression  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  Every  man  was  by  the  fugitive- 
slave  act  constituted  a  slave-catcher,  and  all  chances 
of  escape  were  completely  cut  off.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  say  that  under  these  circumstances  the  slaves  'cried 
mightily  to  God.'  This  they  did  daily;  and  their 
groanings  ascended  to  heaven.  Jehovah  heard,  and 
witnessed  the  wrongs  they  suffered;  and  he  com- 
menced to  say  to  the  nation  through  such  men  as  Gar- 
rison, Lunday,  Love  joy,  and  others,  'Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  Let  my  people  go.'  Did  the  nation  obey?  Not 
by  any  means.  The  oppressor  waxed  more  abusive 
and  defiant.  Not  only  was  the  slave  more  harshly 
treated,  'compelled  to  make  brick  without  straw,'  but 
those  through  whom  God  was  saying,  'Let  my  people 
go,'  were  proscribed,  and  in  some  instances,  as  in  the 
case  of  E.  P.  Lovejoy,  their  blood  atoned  for  their 
temerity.  But  the  purpose  of  the  Almighty,  as  in  the 
case  of  Israel,  did  not  change.  The  more  obstinate  the 
refusal  to  liberate  the  slave,  the  more  loudly  did  the 
Lord  cry  through  the  abolition  society,  'Let  my  people 
go !'  and  the  positive  refusal  of  the  nation  to  listen  to 
the  voice  of  Jehovah,  uttered  in  this  milder  manner, 
compelled  him  to  cry  out  through  the  thundering  voice 
of  war ! 

"We  all  remember  how  His  voice,  when  first  thun- 
dered from  the  guns  of  Fort  Sumter,  startled  the 
nation.  But  even  then,  instead  of  the  republic  consent- 
ing at  once  to  comply  with  God's  requirement,  instead 


180  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

of  it  at  once,  saying  to  the  slave,  'You  are  now  and 
shall  be  forever  free,'  the  great  majority,  even  in  the 
North,  said,  'Preserve  the  Union,  but  do  not  free  the 
slaves.'  The  masses,  as  if  blinded  to  God's  require- 
ments and  the  nation's  best  interests,  distinctly  said, 
time  and  again,  'Slavery  shall  not  be  aboHshed.'  On 
account  of  this  obstinacy,  what  did  the  Almighty  do? 
As  in  the  case  of  Pharaoh  he  sent  one  plague  after 
another,  so  with  this  nation ;  he  sent  one  defeat  after 
another  to  our  armies,  and  in  this  manner  brought  the 
nation,  after  a  loss  of  three  hundred  thousand  Hves  and 
three  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  up  to  that  point 
where  it  was  willing  to  say,  'The  slaves  shall  be  free.'  " 

It  is  interesting  to  study  how  his  hatred  for  slavery 
increased  during  the  years  of  his  life.  In  poem  as  well 
as  in  prose  he  set  forth  his  opposition  to  this  evil  insti- 
tution, proclaiming,  at  every  opportunity,  his  enmity 
to  it. 

One  of  the  great  elements  in  his  work  for  the  uplift 
of  society  was  found  in  his  uncompromising  opposition 
to  the  liquor  trafific  and  his  firm,  unswerving  appeal  for 
temperance.  An  interesting  volume  on  this  subject 
could  be  produced  from  his  writings.  In  an  article 
entitled,  "The  Yellow  Fever  and  the  Whisky  Traffic," 
he  says : 

"The  statistics  of  the  United  States  will  convey  to 
after  generations  the  dreadful  fact  that  during  the 
year  1878  yellow  fever  killed  from  ten  to  twelve  thou- 
sand of  the  people  of  this  country — a  terrible  fact ;  but 
they  will  also  declare  the  fact  that  whisky  in  the  same 
year  killed  not  less  than  sixty  thousand  of  our  people, 
and,  in  addition  to  this,  burdened  the  country  with  fifty 


Relation  to  Society  181 

thousand  paupers,  thirty  thousand  lunatics  and  idiots, 
fifty  thousand  orphan  children,  fifty  thousand  crim- 
inals, and  the  waste  of  six  hundred  millions  of  dollars 
in  money." 

His  arraignment  of  the  Christian  forces  of  the  world 
is  vigorous,  for  he  said :  "Now,  it  is  certain  that,  if 
all  who  claim  to  be  Christians  would  do  what  is  clearly 
their  duty  respecting  this  matter  of  temperance,  and 
without  doing  which  they  have  no  more  right  to  claim 
to  be  Christ's  followers  than  had  Judas  Iscariot  after 
he  had  betrayed  his  Master,  this  terrible  traffic,  with 
all  the  misery,  crime,  and  death  that  entails,  would  be 
wiped  out  of  existence  in  less  than  five  years.  Nay, 
more.  If  all  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  would  do  their 
duty  in  this  matter,  would  regularly,  in  their  pulpit 
efforts  and  in  private,  lay  these  terrible  facts  before 
their  congregations  ;  regardless  of  consequences,  would 
clearly  declare  God's  truth  that  no  drunkard  can  in- 
herit eternal  life,  and  that  all  who  make  drunkards  and 
those  who  claim  to  be  Christians  and  do  not  do  all  in 
their  power  to  prevent  boys  and  men  from  becoming 
drunkards ;  who  do  not  strive  to  hedge  up  their  way  to 
this  terrible  fate ;  who  do  not,  by  precept,  by  example, 
and  by  seeking  to  unhitch  this  damnable  traffic,  exert 
themselves  to  redeem  the  land  from  its  bleeding  curse, 
are  unworthy  the  name  of  Christians  and  are  sure  to 
sink  finally  into  a  lower  hell  than  that  to  which  the 
poor  drunkard  is  doomed.  Were  the  preachers  of  the 
gospel  to  persist  in  declaring  this  great  truth,  the  land 
would  be  redeemed  in  less  than  five  years."  Is  it  any 
wonder  that,  in  the  political  contest  that  obtained  dur- 
ing the  years  of  Doctor  Kephart's  career  as  editor  of 


182  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

the  Religious  Telescope,  he  should  become  the  cham- 
pion, irrespective  of  poHtical  affiliation,  of  the  men  who 
stood  square  on  the  temperance  question,  who  were 
ready  to  support  it  in  legislature,  or  in  the  office  of 
governor,  or  as  representative  in  the  House  of  Con- 
gress ? 

Doctor  Kephart  said  that,  at  the  surrender  of  Lee, 
he  vowed  in  the  presence  of  the  debauching  conduct 
of  an  officer,  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would  never  sup- 
port any  man  who,  directly  or  indirectly,  favored  the 
liquor  traffic  or  who  was  addicted  to  the  use  of  intoxi- 
cating liquors.  This  solemn  oath  he  faithfully  kept 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  No  one  could  read  his  own 
sad  experience,  given  in  another  chapter,  where  a  com- 
panion met  death  because  of  the  use  of  liquor,  and 
wonder  at  his  utter  hatred  of  the  traffic. 

There  could  be  no  compromising  on  his  part  with 
such  a  great  evil.  In  an  article  on  "Whisky,  Murder, 
and  Life  Insurance,"  he  starts  with  the  striking  decla- 
ration : 

"Old  Charley  Drews  declared  that  Brant's  Whisky 
brought  him  to  the  gallows.  This  is  the  same  old  story 
repeated.  Whisky  brought  Nimrod  Spattinhuber  to 
the  gallows  in  Lebanon  last  July,  for  he  was  drunk 
when  he  killed  Ivison.  Whisky  brought  to  the  gallows 
Drews,  the  once-honored,  brave  color-bearer  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  a  comrade  in  crime, 
young  Frank  Sticliler.  Brant's  whisky-shop  and 
dancing-floor  were  the  head  center  where  they  met  to 
drink,  carouse,  concoct  crimes  of  theft  and  robbery, 
and  from  them  each  sallied  forth  to  perpetrate  the 
crimes  they  had  planned." 


Relation  to  Society  183 

Even  in  this  day,  when  the  temperance  sentiment 
has  wonderfully  increased  to  the  point  of  prohibition 
in  many  States  and  the  constantly-increasing  sentiment 
in  others,  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  study  the  little 
article  published  by  Doctor  Kephart  many  years  ago 
on  the  subject,  "Temperance  Work  a  Work  of  Faith" : 

"All  work  in  the  direction  of  the  overthrow  of 
national  and  social  evils,  and  the  lifting  of  htmian  so- 
ciety into  a  higher  plane  of  life,  morally,  must  neces- 
sarily be,  largely,  a  work  of  faith.  Hence,  the 
temperance  work  is  largely  a  work  of  faith.  Encour- 
agement to  work  and  the  assurance  that  the  work  must 
be  successful  does  not  come  from  the  smiles  and  assur- 
ance of  sympathy  from  the  masses,  but  from  a  deep- 
seated  conviction  that  the  work  is  in  the  direction  of 
the  best  interests  of  humanity ;  that  the  work  is  needed 
to  relieve  man  of  a  great  wrong,  to  lift  from  his  shoul- 
ders a  grievous  curse  that  is  crushing  his  hopes,  blight- 
ing his  prospects,  and  preventing  his  march  to  a  higher 
social,  moral,  and  intellectual  life — in  a  word,  that  it  is 
God's  work.  It  is  from  this  conviction  that  all  earnest 
temperance  workers  derive  their  inspiration  and  their 
assurance  of  the  final  triumph  of  their  cause.  It  was 
from  this  conviction  that  the  abolitionists  derived 
their  inspiration  all  through  the  terrible  anti-slavery 
struggle.  Their  work  was  one  of  faith.  They  believed 
that  their  work  was  in  the  interests  of  humanity,  and, 
consequently,  God's  work.  That  belief  was  a  part — 
a  very  important  part — of  their  life.  It  cheered,  stimu- 
lated, and  directed  them  in  their  darkest  days ;  and, 
aided  by  its  invincible  inspiration,  they  pushed  their 
work  to  complete  victory. 


184  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

"So  it  must  and  will  be  with  the  temperance  workers. 
The  enemy  they  assail — the  liquor  traffic — is  the  enemy 
of  humanity,  the  enemy  of  God,  and  the  most  for- 
midable ally  of  the  devil.  Of  this  they  are  assured  by 
a  deep-seated  conviction,  and  they  devote  themselves 
to  the  work  with  the  devotion  of  the  martyrs  of  old, 
assured  by  their  faith  that  their  cause  must  triumph, 
though  they  do  not  live  to  see  it.  Like  Garrison,  they 
are  in  earnest,  and  they  will  be  heard ;  and  let  not  the 
advocates  of,  and  the  apologists  for  the  rum  traffic 
delude  themselves  with  the  hope  that  this  'freak  of 
fanaticism,'  as  they  are  pleased  to  style  the  temper- 
ance movement,  will  soon  blow  over,  for  it  will  not. 
The  work  is  a  work  of  faith ;  it  is  God's  work ;  and  the 
omnipotent  God  is  behind  it,  ready  and  pledged  to 
carry  it  to  a  triumphant  issue,  just  as  he  is  to  carry  all 
great  movements  in  the  direction  of  the  best  interests 
of  humanity. 

"This  faith  of  the  temperance  workers  all  over  this 
land  is  the  most  hopeful  feature  of  the  work.  Their 
confidence  is  in  God  and  active,  intelligently-directed 
work.  They  practically  show  their  faith  by  their 
works.  They  seek  to  do  duty  and  leave  the  conse- 
quences with  God.  With  the  earnest  prayer  of  faith 
from  all  over  this  country,  they  are  besieging  his 
throne ;  'and  will  he  not  avenge  his  own  elect,  who  cry 
unto  him  day  and  night?'  T  tell  you,  he  will  avenge 
them  speedily.'  The  prayers  for  the  overthrow  of  the 
traffic,  for  the  salvation  of  poor  drunkards,  and  espe- 
cially the  agonizing  prayers  of  poor  wives  and  mothers 
whose  husbands  and  sons  are  being  ruined  by  this 
traffic — these  prayers  must  and  will  be  answered.    The 


Relation  to  Society  185 

slave  power  did  totter  and  fall  before  the  faith  and 
prayers,  and  earnest  work  of  such  men  as  Birney,  Hop- 
per, and  Garrison ;  and  so  must  the  liquor  traffic  fall 
before  the  prayers,  faith,  and  works  of  the  earnest 
temperance  workers.  What  is  needed  is  more  faith, 
more  prayer,  and  more  work.  So  many  who  would  re- 
joice at  the  overthrow  of  the  traffic  have  no  faith. 
Their  language  is,  'You  cannot  overthrow  it ;  as  long  as 
there  is  money  in  it,  and  men  have  appetites  for  it,  it 
will  be  made,  sold,  and  drunk.'  They  forget  that  God 
is  pledged  to  its  overthrow.  Their  arguments  and 
despondency  were  equally  applicable  to  the  slave 
power;  but  it  was  overthrown.  Let  all  friends  of  the 
cause  believe,  pray,  work,  and  vote  for  prohibition,  and 
it  must  and  will  come." 

In  the  political  contest  that  obtained  in  the  State  of 
Ohio  in  1906,  when  the  temperance  issue  was  so  de- 
cidedly drawn  in  the  selection  of  a  governor,  Doctor 
Kephart,  while  a  Republican  in  politics,  gave  earnest 
support  to  the  Democratic  nominee  for  governor,  Hon. 
J.  M.  Pattison,  who  was  elected  by  a  splendid  majority 
of  sixty  thousand.  The  Religious  Telescope,  under  the 
editorship  of  Doctor  Kephart,  was  one  of  the  great 
factors  in  this  splendid  temperance  victory.  He  urged 
our  people  everywhere  throughout  the  commonwealth 
of  Ohio  to  support  the  Democratic  nominee.  This  he 
did  with  so  much  vigor  that  some  of  the  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  who  were  politically  in- 
clined to  the  Republican  Party,  found  considerable 
fault  with  him  because  of  his  radical  stand  at  this  time. 
But  his  heart  was  so  aglow  with  the  thought  of  pro- 
tecting the  homes  of  the  commonwealth  of  Ohio  and 


186  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

closing  the  rumshops,  so  that  the  boys  of  our  State 
would  not  be  lured  into  the  ways  of  sin,  that,  disre- 
garding his  usual  attitude  of  neutrality  on  political 
questions,  he  plunged  into  the  campaign  with  the 
energy  of  a  splendid  leader,  accomplishing  much  in 
the  winning  of  the  great  victory  that  obtained  for  the 
cause  of  temperance  that  year. 

The  death  of  Governor  Pattison  seemed  to  him 
always  to  be  a  calamity,  but  he  accorded  to  his  suc- 
cessor. Governor  Harris,  who  stood  firmly  by  the  tem- 
perance cause,  his  undivided  support.  While  his  death 
occurred  only  a  few  weeks  before  the  election  of  1908, 
he  was  intensely  interested  in  the  reelection  of  Gover- 
nor Harris,  and  even  planned,  in  the  last  days  of  his 
illness,  that  he  might  register  in  order  that  he  could,  if 
living  on  election  day  and  able,  cast  his  vote  in  favor 
of  the  man  who  had  so  faithfully  taken  the  place  of 
Governor  Pattison  in  the  work  of  temperance  in  our 
commonwealth.  It  was  not  a  sentiment ;  it  was  not  a 
fanaticism ;  it  was  a  principle  that  actuated  Doctor 
Kephart  in  his  attitude  toward  the  accursed  and  dam- 
nable traffic.  Words  cannot  portray  the  feeling  of  his 
soul  as  he  prayed  for  the  temperance  cause,  and  as  he 
labored  for  the  overthrow  of  the  liquor  traffic.  Thus 
he  stood,  a  strong  defender  of  everything  that  is  repre- 
sented in  purity  and  social  life.  So  earnest  was  he  in 
his  opposition  to  political  impurity,  municipal  graft, 
national  treason,  that  his  outspoken  words  on  this  sub- 
ject are  memorable. 


RELIGIOUS  BELIEFS 


"Good  humor  is  the  snow  on  the  hill  that  makes  the  coast- 
ing sled  of  life  slide  glibly." 


IX. 
RELIGIOUS  BELIEFS 


In  beginning  this  chapter  it  is  but  fitting  that  Doc- 
tor Kephart's  own  words  give  expression  to  his  thought 
in  reference  to  his  relation  to  God.  He  said :  "God  is 
interested  in  everything  that  concerns  us,  just  as  the 
mother  is  interested  in  everything  that  affects  the  wel- 
fare of  her  children.  Our  God  is  a  living  God ;  he  is 
the  source  and  sustainer  of  life ;  he  is  the  source 
whence  flow  the  living  waters ;  he  satisfies  the  longing 
soul.  An  intense  heart-longing  for  soul  purity  is  one 
of  the  conditions  on  which  God  grants  the  blessing  of 
perfect  love,  of  holiness,  of  sanctification.  Without 
that  longing  that  blessing  cannot  be  secured." 

He  had  reached  the  place  in  Christian  experience 
where  he  had  no  doubts.  Standing  as  one  who  had 
completed  the  circle  of  his  reason  in  reference  to  his 
soul  life,  he  found  refuge  by  faith  in  the  atoning  blood 
of  the  Lamb  of  God,  and  was  willing  to  rest  everything 
on  him.    He  once  said : 

"Doubting  God  is  believing  the  devil.  Doubts  are 
dispelled  by  fixing  the  mind  on  Christ,  the  friend  of 
sinners.  Doubts,  if  not  driven  away,  develop  into  posi- 
tive unbelief. 

"To  have  doubts  and  fight  against  them  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  having  doubts  and  fighting  for  them.  The 
former  experience  and  effort  bring  the  doubter  out  into 
the  clear  sunlight  of  a  soul-satisfying  belief ;  the  latter 


190  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

leads  him  down  into  the  murky,  misty  gloom  of  a  con- 
firmed, soul-chilling  unbelief.  The  honest  man  aban- 
dons his  doubt  as  soon  as  he  reaches  a  point  where  he 
sees  that  there  exists  no  valid  reason  for  his  doubt.  It 
may  take  some  time  for  him  to  reach  that  point,  but  he 
earnestly  fights  against  his  doubt  with  a  desire  to  reach 
the  point  of  belief  until  his  doubts  are  swept  away,  or 
until  they  are  confirmed  into  honest  belief." 

Convinced  of  his  position,  he  was  willing  to  stand  or 
fall  by  his  faith  in  the  truths  of  Christianity.  Is  it  any 
wonder,  then,  that  he  should  leave  for  record,  to  be 
read  after  his  death,  that  marvelous  statement :  "I 
have  tried  to  live  a  Christian  life.  I  die  the  Christian's 
death — a  sinner  saved  by  grace  through  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Divine  Son  of  God"  ? 

He  was  logical  in  reference  to  all  these  things.  His 
religion  was  not  a  sentiment,  but  was  based  upon  the 
fundamental  truths  of  God.  He  believed  in  God ;  one 
that  he  could  not  comprehend.  He  did  not  assume  to 
understand  God,  for  he  wrote :  "Finite  man  with  his 
finite  mind  can  no  more  comprehend  God  in  all  his 
omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence  than  he 
can  put  his  finite  arms  around  the  world,  pick  it  up, 
and  walk  ofif  with  it." 

He  did  not  deal  with  puzzling  problems.  He  dis- 
missed them,  as  is  seen  by  the  following  paragraph : 

"Some  want  to  perplex  themselves  with  such  ques- 
tions as:  'How  could  God  create  something  out  of 
nothing?'  'How  long  did  God  exist  alone  before  he 
created  anything?'  'How  can  God  be  self-existent?' 
'Would  God  continue  to  be  our  God  if  he  were  to 
commit  sin?'    'How  could  God  become  man  and  die  on 


Religious  Beliefs  191 

the  cross?'  etc.  All  such  questions  are  vain  and  un- 
profitable, and  those  who  ask  them  would  do  well  to 
remember  that  the  finite  mind  can  no  more  compre- 
hend the  infinite  God  than  a  man  pick  the  earth  up  in 
his  hands,  or  reach  out  and  grasp  the  moon  and  use  it 
for  a  football.  In  all  such  cases  contented  ignorance  is 
better  than  presumptuous  knowledge." 

It  was  his  delight  to  say:  "Honest  thinking  is  a 
necessary  condition  in  order  to  arrive  at  the  truth.  All 
other  requisites  will  fail  if  this  be  wanting.  Thoughts 
not  supported  by  honesty  of  purpose  may  be  earnest, 
skillful,  and,  to  some,  convincing,  but  the  results  are 
only  sophisms."  So  clear  was  his  conception  of  the 
value  of  truth  that  he  wrote  the  following : 

"Truth  is  a  magnificent  thing — so  magnificent  that 
to  die  for  it  is  a  privilege.  But  a  still  more  magnificent 
thing  is  the  fact  that  behind  all  truth  there  stands  the 
Infinite  God,  giving  to  all  truth  and  grandeur,  a  value." 

"Again:  "Absolute  truth  exists,  but  all  man's 
attempts  at  expressing  absolute  truth  are  more  or  less 
marred  by  that  imperfection  which  attaches  to  all 
human  effort." 

Doctor  Kephart  accepted  the  truth  of  the  gospel  and 
made  it  a  part  of  his  life.  His  sermon  on  "The  Authen- 
ticity of  the  Scriptures,"  from  the  text  (Romans  1 :  20), 
"For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation  of 
the  world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the 
things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  God- 
head, so  that  they  are  without  excuse,"  is  a  masterful 
presentation  of  his  conception  of  the  truth  of  the  Word 
of  God.  In  this  sermon  he  clearly  sets  forth  the  views 
of  many  of  the  great  men  of  the  world  in  reference  to 


192  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

the  Bible.  He  thus  emphasizes  his  position  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Word.  While  this  sermon  was  written  in 
1879,  it  was  the  fundamental  belief  of  his  entire  life, 
and  in  it  he  successfully  refutes  Huxley,  Haeckel,  and 
Vogt  in  their  materialistic  beliefs  in  reference  to  the 
Bible.  Quoting  his  own  words  from  this  sermon,  in 
reference  to  the  statements  of  the  Bible,  he  said :  "The 
doctrine  that  they  are  a  revelation  of  God's  will  to  man 
is  not  a  chimera  of  the  brain,  but  a  truth  founded  upon 
the  facts  of  science ;  a  truth  corroborated  by  the 
phenomena  of  nature ;  a  truth  in  harmony  with  sound 
philosophy,  reason,  and  science,  all  united  in  declaring 
that  those  sacred  pages  that  reveal  the  man,  the  blessed 
Christ,  the  divine  Redeemer,  are  not  cunningly-devised 
fables,  but  that  they  are  as  much  the  preachers  of  the 
God  of  nature  as  are  the  stars  of  the  firmament,  the 
trees  of  the  forest,  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  and 
even  man  himself." 

Doctor  Kephart  did  not  quibble.  He  did  not  have 
time  to  ask  foolish  questions.  If  there  was  a  question 
(and  there  often  was)  in  his  mind,  it  was  a  reasonable 
question  that  affected  the  destiny  of  his  soul  and  re- 
lated to  the  conduct  of  his  life,  or  he  dismissed  it  at 
once.  This  made  him  peculiar  in  relation  to  his  sur- 
roundings— unwilling  to  doubt  unless  there  was  reason 
for  doubting;  and,  in  the  presence  of  the  doubt,  he 
would  always  set  about  to  clear  the  mystery  in  order 
that  there  might  not  be  any  uncertainty.  He  would  not 
tolerate  the  man  who  was  simply  asking  questions  for 
questions'  sake.  He  was  ready  sometimes  to  "answer 
the  fool  according  to  his  question,"  for  he  did  not  be- 
lieve it  was  profitable  to  himself  or  to  the  questioner  to 


Religions  Beliefs  193 

enter  into  an  argument  where  there  was  lacking  the 
sincerity  that  would  carry  with  it  conviction  as  to  con- 
duct in  the  individual  life. 

He  accepted  the  fact  of  mystery  in  everything  about 
him,  but  was  ready  to  defend  the  doctrine  of  progress 
in  the  constitution  of  man,  believing  that  God  had 
created  him  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  capable  of  prog- 
ress in  unfolding  in  knowledge  and  truth.  He  readily 
accepted  in  all  of  his  teachings  the  words  of  Browne, 
who  said,  "The  whole  creation  is  a  mystery,  and  par- 
ticularly that  of  man" ;  and  while  he  thus  accepted  this 
peculiar  mystery  surrounding  his  own  being,  he  never 
failed  to  find  a  secure  refuge  in  the  revelation  of  God 
as  given  in  his  Word  ;  and  like  Cowper : 

"  'T  is  revelation  that  satisfies  all  doubts, 
Explains  all  mysteries  except  her  own, 
And  so  illuminates  the  path  of  life 
That  fools  discover  it  and  stray  no  more." 

As  an  evidence  of  his  greatness  of  mind.  Doctor 
Kephart  was  ready  to  admit  that  there  were  many 
things  that  he  did  not  know,  and  upon  these  subjects 
that  were  as  yet  still  mysteries  to  him  he  did  not  pre- 
sume to  speak  with  authority,  but  considered  them  as 
uncertain  and  unexplained  things  that  were  yet  to  have 
investigation  and  revelation. 

As  he  grew  in  knowledge,  he  gave  expression  on 
lines  of  thought  that  were  in  his  younger  days  mys- 
teries to  him.  So  careful  and  guarded  was  he  in  all 
that  he  said  on  every  line  of  thought  where  there  was 
not  the  fullest  revelation,  that  one  is  impressed  with 
his  constant  desire  not  to  offend  the  great  Spirit  of 
revelation  that  is  to  lead  us  into  all  truth,  even  the 
Spirit  of  God. 


194  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

It  was  Carlyle  who  wrote:  "That  great  mystery  of 
Time,  were  there  no  other ;  the  iUimitable,  silent,  never- 
resting  thing  called  'Time,'  rolling,  rushing  on,  swift 
silent,  like  the  all-embracing  ocean  tide  on  which  we 
and  all  the  universe  swim  like  exhalations,  like  appari- 
tions, which  are  and  then  are  not ;  this  is  forever  very 
literally  a  miracle,  a  thing  to  strike  us  dumb — for  we 
have  no  word  to  speak  about  it." 

Thus  our  hero,  amid  the  struggles  of  human  life, 
when  the  unseen  seemed  to  press  in  upon  him,  when 
the  unknown  seemed  to  be  present,  stood  ready  to  ex- 
claim, in  the  words  of  scripture :  "Now  we  see  through 
a  glass,  darkly ;  but  then  face  to  face :  now  I  know  in 
part ;  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known." 

Quoting  Doctor  Kephart's  own  words :  "He  who 
is  willing  to  receive  each  day  what  God  would  teach 
him,  stands  every  morning  on  the  threshold  of  new 
revelations  in  his  spiritual  life."  So  closely  identified 
with  this  truth  just  stated  was  his  belief  in  the  person- 
ality of  God  and  his  uncompromising  faith  in  the 
Trinity,  that  I  am  led  to  again  quote  from  Cowper : 

"Acquaint  thyself  with  God,  if  thou  wouldst  taste  his  works. 
Admitted  once  to  his  embrace, 
Thou  shalt  perceive  that  thou  wast  blind  before; 
Then  thou  shalt  be  instructed;    and  thine  heart 
Made  pure  shall  relish,  with  divine  delight 
Till  then  unfclt,  what  hands  divine  have  wrought." 

Tn  his  declaration  of  belief,  Doctor  Kephart  said : 
"Philosophy  and  science  can  neither  prove  nor  disprove 
the  personality  of  the  deity ;  but  the  sacred  Scriptures 
declare  it,  and  the  human  soul  recognizes  the  truth." 
There  is  found  in  this  utterance,  his  position  in  refer- 


Religious  Beliefs  195 

ence  to  the  deity.  In  an  editorial  published  in  Octo- 
ber, 1906,  he  says :  "The  oneness  of  God  and  of  Christ 
is  to  finite  mind  an  unfathomable  mystery.  As  such  it 
was  recognized  by  the  Apostle  Paul.  He  wrote : 
'Without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness, 
God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the  Spirit, 
seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  believed  on 
in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory.'  But  there  are 
many  mysterious  things  that  are  not  unbelievable.  This 
fact  is  universally  recognized  by  scientists.  The  nature, 
the  'what  is  it?'  of  electricity  is  as  yet  an  unfathomable 
mystery,  but  its  existence  and  power  are  universally 
believed,  and  it  is  being  wonderfully  utilized  for  the 
benefit  of  man.  Not  to  believe  a  thing  because  you  can- 
not understand  it  is  to  write  yourself  down  as  a  stupid 
ignoramus.  Who  understands  the  mysterious  processes 
of  digestion  and  assimilation  ?  Who  knows  the  how  or 
why  of  growth  of  hair  on  the  ox,  wool  on  the  sheep, 
and  feathers  on  the  goose,  when  all  of  them  feed  of  the 
same  grass  in  the  same  pasture-field  ?  We  do  not  know 
the  how  or  why  of  chemical  affinity  and  cohesive  attrac- 
tion, yet  we  all  believe  in  the  existence  of  quartz,  crys- 
tal, and  rocks.  Just  how  Christ  could  be  the  God  who 
created  all  things  and  how  he  who  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting  is  God,  could  be  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  we 
do  not  know  and  we  cannot  understand,  but  true  Chris- 
tians all  believe  it.  In  this  great  mystery,  the  Rev.  J.  D. 
Herron  recently  gave  expression  in  an  address  in  the 
following  wholesome  words  :  'A  little  girl  whom  I  was 
preparing  for  confirmation  once  asked  me,  "Jesus  is 
the  same  as  God,  isn't  he?"  The  question  could  have 
but  one  answer,  and  that  in  the  affirmative,  since  we  are 


196  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

taught  to  say  of  him  that  he  is  God  of  God,  Light  of 
Light,  Very  God  of  Very  God.  How  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  great  Creator  of  the  universe  who  sent 
him  into  the  world  could  be  one,  and  not  simply  one  in 
thought  and  purpose,  but  one  thing,  as  the  neuter 
gender  of  the  Greek  word  expresses  it,  the  early 
Christians  did  not  stop  to  inquire.  As  true  scientists 
they  accepted  a  proved  fact  without  attempting  to 
understand  it.  Do  you  doubt  that  this  was  the  true 
scientific  position?  Then  let  me  prove  it  by  pointing 
out  to  you  what  was  probably  the  greatest  discovery 
of  the  nineteenth  century — the  X-Ray.  The  great 
scientist  who  discovered  it  was  too  modest  to  presume 
upon  an  explanation  and  too  busy  to  attempt  one,  so 
he  simply  labeled  the  ray  with  the  letter  "X,"  using  the 
algebraic  symbol  of  the  unknown  quantity,  and  as  no 
amount  of  incredulity  can  set  aside  a  fact  of  science, 
so  no  amount  of  infidelity  can  set  aside  the  fact  of  the 
redemption  of  the  world  by  the  death  and  resurrection 
of  the  Son  of  man.  There  are  persons  who  love  dark- 
ness rather  than  light.  There  are  anarchists  and  out- 
laws in  God's  kingdom  as  well  as  in  the  kingdom  of 
man.'  In  reference  to  the  virgin  birth.  Doctor  Herron 
said :  Tt  was  miraculous  because  it  is  beyond  all 
human  power.  To  deny  the  miraculous  is  to  deny 
God,  and  I  need  not  repeat  what  the  psalmist  calls  the 
man  who  says,  "There  is  no  God."  '  " 

I  quote  also  from  an  editorial  in  the  Telescope  of 
January  19,  1907,  where,  under  the  title,  "Christ's 
Divinity — Some  Thoughts  for  Present-Day  Considera- 
tion," Doctor  Kephart  gives  utterance  to  his  position 
on  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.    In  the  presence  of  this 


Religious  Beliefs  197 

statement  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  his  attitude 
on  this  great  doctrine  of  the  Church : 

"The  divinity  of  Christ  is  a  fundamental  doctrine  of 
orthodox  Christianity.  It  is  devoutly  believed  and 
taught  by  all  the  great  branches  of  the  Christian 
church.  Their  superior  activity  in  erecting  church- 
edifices,  in  organizing  societies,  and  especially  in  send- 
ing missionaries  to  all  parts  of  heathendom,  is  chiefly 
due  to  their  profound  belief  that  Jesus  Christ  was  and 
is  really  'God  manifest  in  the  flesh.'  If  any  dispute 
this,  let  them  cast  about  and  see  for  themselves  what 
the  church  that  denies  Christ's  divinity  is  doing  in  the 
way  of  missionary  work,  either  home  or  foreign. 

"And  yet  it  must  be  conceded  that  there  are  some 
very  able,  candid  men,  men  of  rare  culture  and  admir- 
able intellectual  ability,  who  believe  and  teach  that 
Jesus  was  only  an  extraordinary  man,  and  not  the 
divine  Son  of  God — not  'one  with  the  Father.'  Their 
candor,  moral  integrity,  and  intellectual  ability  com- 
mand respect,  and  consequently  others,  who  take  not 
the  trouble  to  investigate  and  test  for  themselves,  fall 
in  with  the  same  form  of  unbelief.  Thi-s  makes  it  all 
the  more  important  that  some  proofs  of  Christ's  divin- 
ity be  set  forth  from  time  to  time  in  current  religious 
publications.  At  this  writing  the  purpose  is  to  give, 
without  elaboration,  a  few  of  those  proofs. 

''CHRIST   DECLARED    HIMSELF   DIVINE. 

"When  Peter,  in  answer  to  the  question,  'Whom  do 
men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am?'  replied,  'Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,'  Jesus  en- 
dorsed  the   statement   as   correct   by    pronouncing   a 


198  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

blessing  upon  Peter,  declaring,  'My  Father  who  is  in 
heaven  hath  revealed  it  unto  you.'  Would  or  could 
he  have  said  that,  had  he  been  only  a  man?  Would  a 
good  man  so  cruelly  deceive  his  few  devout  followers 
by  claiming  to  be  what  he  was  not? 

"Then,  too,  look  how  he  applies  the  personal  pro- 
noun to  himself.  In  the  Sermon  on  the  !Mount  he  uses 
the  authoritative  declaration,  T  say  unto  you,'  thirteen 
times.  In  addition  to  this  we  have  the  following:  'I 
came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners' ;  T  came 
not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword' ;  T  will  give  you  rest' ; 
'I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart' ;  'I  will  give  unto  thee 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven' ;  'Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world' ;  T  and  my 
Father  are  one' ;  T  am  the  bread  of  life' ;  'I  am  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life' ;  T  am  the  door  of  the 
sheep' ;  T  am  the  Good  Shepherd' ;  T  lay  down  my 
life  for  my  sheep';  'I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and 
power  to  take  it  again' ;  T  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the 
branches' ;  T  give  unto  them  eternal  life' ;  T  am  the 
resurrection  and  the  life';  T  will  give  you  rest';  'I  am 
the  light  of  the  world' ;  'I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you' ;  'I  will  come  again  and  receive  you  unto  myself.' 

"Think  of  any  mere  man,  such  as  Luther  or  Calvin  or 
Wesley,  thus  using  the  pronoun  T  in  declaring  him- 
self and  his  abilities !  How  supremely,  repulsively 
egotistic  it  would  sound !  Ah,  it  will  not  do.  As 
George  H.  S.  Wendling,  in  a  lecture,  once  said  in  our 
hearing,  'Christ  was  either  the  divine  Son  of  God,  as 
he  himself  claimed  to  be,  or  he  was  the  greatest  egotist 
and  the  most  successful  deceiver  that  ever  assumed  to 
teach.' 


Religions  Beliefs  199 

"Think,  also,  of  a  mere  man  saying,  'Come  imto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  I  will  give  you  rest,'  or,  Tf  ye 
shall  ask  anything  in  my  name  I  will  do  it,'  or,  'x\ll 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth,'  or,  'Ye 
believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me,'  or,  'He  that  hath 
seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father.'  Could  a  mere  self- 
deceived  man  speak  such  words?  Compare  them  with 
the  most  notable  expressions  of  the  great  philosophers 
and  the  founders  of  false  religions — Buddha,  Con- 
fucius, Zoroaster,  Socrates,  Plato,  and  Mahomet,  and 
how  transcendently  they  loom  up  with  a  divine  efful- 
gence in  the  comparison." 

In  the  Telescope  of  March,  1907,  Doctor  Kephart 
quotes  the  words  of  Dr.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage  on,  "The 
Revelation  That  Jesus  is  the  Christ  of  God,"  thus 
making  it  his  own  as  it  relates  to  his  faith  in  the  aton- 
ing power  of  the  divine  Christ  as  he  wrought  out  sal- 
vation for  the  race. 

"Nor  is  Paul  the  only  man  who  has  had  this  revela- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ.  Scores  and  scores  of  eminent 
Christians  have  had  it.  Luther  had  it,  and  Wesley  had 
it,  and  Finney  had  it,  and  Thomas  Chalmers  had  it, 
and  John  Bunyan  had  it,  and  John  Newton  had  it. 
They  have  had  it  in  the  same  way  as  many  of  us  have 
had  it.  The  greatest  trouble  with  many  of  us  in  Chris- 
tian work  is  that  we  are  not  obedient  to  the  heavenly 
vision.  We  do  not  say  with  Paul,  'God  forbid  that  I 
should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.'  We 
are  trying  to  teach  men  lessons  for  this  life,  but  we  do 
not  emphasize  and  keep  reemphasizing  the  essential 
doctrine  that  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  and  in  no 
other  way  can  we  be  truly  cleansed  of  our  sins.     We 


200  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

have  had  this  revelation  come  to  us,  but  we  have  been 
pushing  it  more  and  more  into  the  background  of  our 
lives." 

Naturally  we  turn  away  from  the  consideration  of 
the  divinity  of  Christ  to  Doctor  Kephart's  idea  of  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  as  being  above  and  over  all  the 
universe,  and  I  quote  his  words  in  the  following  para- 
graph :  "The  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  sovereignty 
of  God  are  identical.  God  created  man  because  of  his 
fatherhood,  and  he  is  man's  rightful  Lord  and  sover- 
eign because  of  his  fatherhood — that  is,  because  of  the 
paternal  relation  he  sustains  to  man.  His  rightful 
sovereignty  over  man  springs  out  of  the  fact  that  he  is 
man's  Creator,  his  Father,  his  loving  Parent,  who 
kindly  rules  man  for  man's  own  good,  as  a  kind, 
earthly  father  rules  his  children  for  their  good — not 
for  his  own  personal  gratification." 

In  this  is  clearly  set  forth  his  conception  of  God's 
tenderness  toward  his  children,  and  often  in  his  edi- 
torials he  set  forth  the  abounding  love  of  God  as  a 
Father  willing  to  meet  his  erring  children  and  lift 
them  up,  for  Doctor  Kephart  believed  with  another, 
who  said : 

"To  him  no  high,  no  low,  no  great,  no  small ; 
He  fills,  he  bounds,  connects  and  equals  all." 

Thus  he  found  the  majesty  and  the  mercy  of  God 
as  binding  all  mankind  into  one  complete  family,  in 
which  each  is  connected  to  him  through  the  atoning 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  by  faith  in  his  death  and  suffer- 
ings, making  each  one  who  enters  into  this  family 
equal  each  with  the  other.     God  was  not  to  him  an 


5< 

3 


^ 


^ 
^ 

C 


^ 


Religions  Beliefs  201 

austere  ruler,  who  would  mete  out  justice  simply,  but 
who  would  in  tenderness  and  in  love  forgive  and  for- 
get the  waywardness  of  his  children.  But  while  this 
was  true,  Doctor  Kephart  also  believed  in  retribution 
for  sin,  and  in  a  strong  article,  written  many  years 
ago,  he  set  forth  without  qualification  his  faith  in  the 
punishment  of  the  evil-doer,  for  he  laid  special  stress 
upon  the  Word  of  God  where  it  says,  ''As  a  man 
soweth,  so  shall  he  also  reap."  To  him  there  was  no 
question  but  that  the  destiny  of  the  soul  was  deter- 
mined by  conduct  in  its  acceptance  or  rejection  of  sal- 
vation through  Jesus  Christ.  He  never  modified  his 
belief  in  the  teaching  of  the  Word  that  those  who  dis- 
obey God  shall  be  banished  from  his  presence  and 
suffer  in  punishment.  While  he  was  progressive  in 
his  thinking  and  a  critic  of  language  and  style,  and 
ready  to  consider  any  suggestion  as  to  a  clearer  inter- 
pretation of  the  Word  of  God,  yet  he  would  never 
allow  a  destructive  critic  to  take  from  beneath  his  feet 
the  adamantine  rock  on  which  all  of  its  religious  belief 
rested — the  infallible  truth  of  the  Scriptures. 

Because  of  his  religious  beliefs  he  was  able  in  the 
closing  years  of  his  life  to  look  by  faith  into  the  future 
and  to  forecast  coming  events  in  his  own  life.  Those 
who  have  read  his  utterances  in  the  past  few  years 
must  have  recognized  the  fact  that  he  saw  the  shadows 
gathering  and  recognized  the  setting  of  the  sun  of  his 
earthly  pilgrimage,  and  as  he  came  nearer  the  border- 
land it  was  an  easy  task  for  him  to  arrange  all  of  his 
affairs  as  one  about  to  take  a  journey.  On  the  eartli 
side  he  gave  expression  as  to  his  wishes  in  connection 
with  his  funeral  and  burial  service,  leaving'  a  written 


202  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

program  with  all  the  details  for  that  last  event  of 
respect  to  his  memory.  On  the  heaven  side  the  vision 
was  so  very  clear  and  his  desire  to  enter  into  that  life 
beyond  was  so  pronounced  that  there  was  never  a 
cloud  present  to  mar  the  spiritual  vision  as  he  looked 
toward  the  city  of  God  in  which  a  mansion  had  already 
been  prepared  for  him. 

What  a  fitting  sequel  to  a  life  of  faith  in  God  the 
Father,  in  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Com- 
forter. For  in  the  Triune  Deity  he  placed  the  destiny 
of  his  soul,  resting  secure  in  the  thought  and  in  the 
belief  that  death  was  but  an  exit  from  this  life  and.  an 
opening  door  into  everlasting  life  with  Jesus  Christ. 

This  chapter  can  have  no  more  fitting  closing  than 
his  poem,  "My  Rest" : 

"I  rest,  O  Ck>d,  upon  thy  Word, 
To  it  I  go.    Full  well  I  know, 
Though  hell  assail,  it  will  not  fail 
The  contrite  soul.     It  maketh  whole 
The  wounded  heart,  and  doth  impart 
'Mid  joy  or  strife,  eternal  life 
To  him  whose  trust — firm,  faithful,  just — 
Is  in  that  Word — Redeemer,  Lord. 
He  is  the  Word,  and  its  record 
Once  writ  or  spoken,  cannot  be  broken. 
So  there  I  rest,  comforted,  blest. 
Sure  is  my  hope.     I  do  not  grope 
In  doubt  and  fear.    That  Word  doth  cheer 
My  life's  pathway,  by  night  and  day. 
'T  will  brighter  grow,  as  on  I  go, 
Till  by  and  by,  beyond  the  sky. 
That  hope  will  in  fruition  die." 


HIS  OWN  WRITINGS 


"Glory  is  grace  come  to  perfection.  The  promise  of  the 
Lord  is  that  he  'will  give  grace  and  glory :  and  no  good  thing 
will  he  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprighth-.'  " 


X. 

HIS  OWN  WRITINGS 

POEMS 


MY   CHILDHOOD'S   HOME. 

Upon  the  mountain's  western  steep, 

Far  out  among  the  pines, 
Where  winter's  blast  was  wont  to  sweep 

O'er  hills  and  dark  ravines; 

Where  rolls  Moshannon's  sparkling  stream, 

And  Clearfield's  waters  glide ; 
Where  sylvan  gods  were  wont  to  dream 

Beneath  the  hemlock's  shade ; 

There,  'mong  those  wild,  wild  mountain  glens 
Where  roamed  the  fox  and  deer. 

Where  wolf  and  bear  within  their  dens 
Were  neither  wild  nor  rare — 

There,  j'ears  ago,  my  father  reared 

His  cabin,  rude  and  plain ; 
And,  toiling  hard,  he  slowly  cleared 

The  land,  a  home  to  gain. 

That  spot,  where  once  my  parents  toiled, — 

Where  first  I  .saw  the  light, — 
Than  all  besides  on  earth  to  me, 

'T  is  precious  in  my  sight. 

True,  it  can't  boast  of  mansions  fine, 

Nor  fruitful,  fertile  fields; 
No  gardens  rich  with  jassamine, — 

No  luscious  fruit  it  yields. 


206  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

A  plain  old  barren  heath  it  seems, 
Where  weeds  and  cinquefoil  grow ; 

But,  oh,  old  home  of  childhood's  dreams, 
I  can  but  love  you  so ! 

Thy  every  spot  is  dear  to  me, 

For  father's,  mother's  sake; 
I  would  again  return  to  thee, 

And  youth's  fond  pleasures  seek. 

Since  there  I  bid  them  all  adieu, 

So  many  years  gone  by, 
Dear  mother,  father,  brothers,  too. 

Life's  active  ways  to  try. 

I  've  wandered  far  and  much  I  've  learned 

Of  all  this  world  can  give 
In  pleasures,  honor,  toil,  and  pain — 

Of  what  it  is  to  live. 

And  this  I  've  learned — the  happiest  days 

I  've  seen  on  earth  below 
Were  those  I  spent  in  childish  plays 

Before  I  'd  learned  to  know 

What  't  is  to  struggle  with  the  world. 
To  brave  its  toil  and  strife,— 

Ah,  when  a  child,  by  mother's  side. 
How  happy  then  was  life. 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  GRAVE. 

Out  of  the  grave  of  silence 
Wet  with  the  rain  of  tears, 

Cometh  a  voice  to  greet  me — 
The  voice  of  love  to  my  ears. 

A  voice  that  is  not  forgotten — 
Yet  over  the  bridge  of  time 

It  comes  like  the  far-off  sweetness 
Of  a  distant  church-bell's  chime. 


His  Own  Writings  207 

And  I  know  as  I  hear  its  accents 

Fall  on  my  ear  to-day, 
That  the  love  of  the  past  is  constant 

In  the  soul  that  has  flown  away. 

And  with  it  there  comes  a  comfort 

That  soothes  the  aching  breast; 
For  Christ  o'er  death  has  triumphed, 

And  the  dead  in  the  Lord  are  blest. 

And  the  voice  breathes  hope  for  the  living — 

It  whispers  of  joys  to  come — 
Of  loved  meeting  loved  up  in  heaven. 

When  tlie  Lord  calls  the  laborers  home. 


MY  MA  AN'  ME. 

My  ma  's  as  sweet  as  sweet  can  be ; 
She  takes  me  right  up  on  her  knee, 
An'  hugs  an'  kisses  me  to  death — 
Or  almost  takes  away  my  breath. 
'Nen  I  kiss  her  an'  hug  her  neck, 
An'  she  pats  me  right  on  my  cheek, 
An'  I  pat  her  an'  say,  "Yum,  yum," 
An'  she  calls  me  her  'ittle  chum; 

An'  so  you  see, 

My  ma  an'  me 
Has  jist  the  best  est  times,  complete. 
Because  she  is  so  very  sweet. 

'Nen  I  get  tired  an'  sleepy,  too. 
An'  ma  she  takes  an'  leads  me  through 
The  dinin'-room,  an'  up  the  stair. 
An'  hears  me  say  my  'ittle  prayer, — 
"Dear  Lord,  bless  me,  an'  pa,  an'  ma, 
An'  keep  us  safe  as  safe  can  be." 
An'  tucks  me  in  my  crib  so  neat. 
An'  says,  "Good-night,  my  'ittle  sweet.' 

An'  nen,  all  night, 

Till  broad  daylight. 


208  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

I  sleep  an'  snore,  and  snore  an'  sleep, 
While  angels  safely  us  do  keep. 

An'  so  you  see. 

My  ma  an'  me 

Is  just  as  happy 

As  we  can  be. 


WHEN  I  WAS  A  BOY. 

Ah !  oft  in  my  thoughts  do  I  wander 

Away  to  the  dear  forest  home, 
Far  off  in  the  pine-covered  mountains. 

Where  the  cabin  stood  silent  and  lone ; 
And  I  think,  with  a  heartache  pathetic. 

Of  the  home  circle,  rustic  and  fair. 
That  there,  'mid  the  wildest  surroundings. 

Dwelt  cosy,  contented,  and  poor. 

'T  was  a  paradise,  now  as  I  see  it. 

Compared  with  the  city's  uproar; 
Its  dearth  of  ambition  and  fashion, 

At  this  distance,  seems  heaven — yea,  more. 
1  lumility,  kindness,  and  courage. 

Contentment,  and  industry,  too ; 
Hope,  trust  in  the  world's  great  Redeemer, 

Thrilled  each  heart  every  morning  anew. 

To  master  the  toils  and  privations 

Which  a  pioneer's  life  then  imposed. 
While  the  health  which  the  mountain  breeze  wafted 

On  the  brow  of  each  member  reposed. 
So  in  thought  I  go  back  to  that  cabin, 

That  clearing,  that  forest,  that  farm 
Wlicre  father  and  mother  and  children 

Dwelt  contented — oblivious  of  harm. 

And  as  memory  retouches  the  picture, 
And  contrasts  it  with  life  of  to-day — 

With  the  hurry,  the  rush,  and  the  clatter. 
On  the  road  thus  far  down  life's  way. 


His  Ozi'ii  IVritiiii^s  209 


My  heart  often  yearns  for  the  quiet. 
The  peace,  the  contentment,  the  joy 

Of  the  life  that  I  lived  in  that  cabin 
Back  yonder  when  I  was  a  boy. 
September,  1899. 


THE  MODERN  WOMAN. 

The  modern  woman?     Yes,  I've  seen  ]ier. 
In  the  summer,  in  the  winter — 
Found  her  solemn,   found  her  cheerful. 
Sometimes  hopeful,   sometimes  fearful, 
Sometimes   sharing  joys  with  glad  ones. 
Sometimes  sorrowing  with  sad  ones; 
Now  some  needy  one  she  's  soothing. 
Now  some  greedy  one  reproving; 
Now  her  humble  home  adorning 
With  her  love  each  night  and  morning; 
With  her  bright,  sweet  spirit  cheering 
The  unfortunate  and  fearing; 
Carefully  her  children  training, 
And  their  wayward  steps  restraining ; 
Doing  all  without  complaining; 
From  moroseness  glad  refraining. 
This,  this  is  the  modern  woman, 
Noble,  loving,  and  a  true  one ; 
Not  a  daint}',  helpless  creature. 
Wan  in  face  and  false  in  feature. 
But,  in  truth,  man's  real  helpmeet, 
Stronge,  courageous,  gentle,  sweet. 
To  her  home  God's  greatest  treasure, 
Source  of  bliss,  and  joy  forever. 
Janiiarv,  1898. 


WHERE  DOES  IslY  LOVED  ONE  DWELL? 

Speak,  speak,  ye  twinkling  stars  of  night, 
Where  does  my  loved  one  dwell  ? 

Help  me  to  trace  by  faith  her  flight. 
My  heartaches  now  dispel. 


210  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

Her  body  lies  within  the  tomb, 
But  where  's  her  thinking  self 

Which,  once  so  mirthful,  cheered  our  home- 
A  winsome,  loving  elf? 


It  beamed  so  loving  from  her  eyes, 

It  spoke  in  sweetest  tones ; 
Dwells  it  with  you  beyond  the  skies. 

Where  sorrow  never  comes? 

Oh,  speak,  ye  clouds,  ye  winds,  ye  stars. 

My  question  answer  now. 
Tell  me  how  now  my  loved  one  fares; 

Where  dwells  she  now,  and  how? 

Her  personality,  I  know. 

Forever  must  endure. 
Made  up  of  purity  and  love — 

Gems  of  most  brilliant  hue. 

But  clouds,  and  winds,  and  stars  speak  not; 

Their  flights,  and  blasts,  and  light 
In  metaphor  but  seem  to  say, 

"Wait ;  day  succeeds  each  night. 

"For  you  will  come,  in  God's  good  time, 

An  endless,  glorious  day ; 
Then,  swathed  in  joy  and  bliss  sublime, 
You  '11  walk  the  golden  way 

"With  her,  of  New  Jerusalem — 
With  her  converse  and  sing — 

Then  she  God's  mystery  of  love 
To  you  will  there  explain. 

"So  cease  thy  questionings,  nor  fret; 

Believe,  hope,  trust,  and  wait; 
She'll  meet  you  when  life's  sun  has  set 

At  the  bright,  golden  gate." 


His  Ozvn  Writings  211 

NOT  REALLY  POOR. 

'T  is  not  the  little  I  possess 

With  poverty  does  me  distress; 

This  everlasting  wanting  more — 

This  poverty  I  do  deplore. 

Oh,  could  I  ever  be  content 

With  what  I  have,  as  Heaven  sent — 

Content  to  toil  and  to  enjoy 

What  Fleaven  sends;    my  time  employ 

In  getting  good  and  doing  good ; 

Nor  worry,  lest  for  want  of  food 

A  score  or  two  of  future  years 

Shall  find  me  hungry  and  in  tears ! 

Why  not  my  Heavenly  Father  trust, 

The  all-providing  One  and  just? 

Will  he  who  notes  the  sparrow's  fall 

Heed  not  his  helpless  children's  call? 

Away,  black  doubt !     Away,  distrust ! 

The  Lord  's  my  life  !     I  'm  rich  !     I  '11  tru^t ! 


MY  BOY,  BE  TRUE. 

Come  near,  my  dear  boy,  sit  down  by  my  side; 

Let  us  talk  a  few  moments — of  my  life  you  're  the  pride, 

Your  face  is  so  hopeful,  you  're  eye  is  so  blue, 

So  heed  what  I  say.  To  your  conscience 

Be  true. 

The  world  is  before  you.    'T  is  not  a  bad  world 
For  some.     They  go  smoothly  with  sails  all  unfurled 
Adown  their  life's  voyage.     Whatever  they  do, 
Just  mind  what  I  say.  To  your  parents 

Be  true. 

Your  life  will  be  sometimes  uphill  and  then  down ; 
You  may  live  in  the  country  or  live  in  the  town — 
No  matter  just  where,  what  troubles  go  through. 
This  one  thing  will  pay.  To  your  neighbors 

Be  true. 


212  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

Perchance  3'ou  may  prosper — accumulate  pcif, 
Get  married,  grow  famous,  and  roll  in  your  wealth ; 
But,  despite  earthly  riches,  this  one  thing  I  know, 
To  be  happy  you  must  to  your  own  wife 

Be  true. 


You  may  turn  j-our  attention  to  aflfairs  of  the  state, 
Receive  the  applause  of  the  good  and  the  great; 
But  mind  what  I  tell  you,  'mid  all  this  ado. 
Forget  not  your  God ;    to  your  Savior 

Be  true. 

For  the  time  is  fast  coming  to  all  of  us  when 
The  judgment  will  sit,  and  I  'm  very  sure  then 
This  one  thing  mOkSt  comfort  will  be  unto  you — 
To  know  that  to  God  j-ou  have  ever 

Been  true. 


"MY  TIMES  ARE  IN  HIS  HAND." 

The  hours  alone  belong  to  God ; 
A  few  he  kindly  lends  to  me ; 
But  lest  I  thoughtless,  wasteful  be. 
Nor  heed  his  guiding,  gentle  rod, 
Only  a  minute  at  a  lime. 
In  wisdom,  wonderful,  sublime, 
Most  patiently,  and  kind  does  he 
Deal  out  my  sojourn  time  to  me. 

Swiftly  they  flj',  't  is  true,  I  know, 
y\nd  life  at  longest  here  below 
Is  but  a  span,  a  breath,  a  sigh, 
Compared  with  God's  eternity. 
But  minutes,  dealt  one  at  a  time, 
Enough  for  years  threescore  and  ten. 
Run  up  to  millions.     How  much,  then, 
Of  time's  swift  flight   should  we  complain? 


His  Ozi'H  Writings  213 


Ah,  God  is  good.     Well  does  he  choose 
To  deal  out  time  for  us  to  use 
In  portions  small,  so  well  he  knows, 
When  goodness  precious  gifts  bestows 
In  great  abundance,  men  oft  choose 
His  bounties  reckless  to  abuse. 

Hence,  speed  on,  time.    Your  wildest  flight 
But  speeds  me  on  to  heaven's  delight, 
That  blest  abode — perpetual  light. 
Where  time  's  no  more  in  siglit  or  flight, 
Where  one  eternity  of  love. 
Peace,  happiness,  and  joy  above. 
For  the  redeemed  shall  e'er  prevail. 
So,  blest  eternity,  all  hail ! 
May,  1898. 


$i 


WE  PLEAD  FOR  MEN  TO  LEAD. 

O  God,  we  plead 
For  men  to  lead 

In  these  portentious  times — 
Men,  noble  and  true, 
L^nselfish,  who 

Have  not  been  smirciied  with  crimes : 

Men  who  won't  heed 
The  voice  of  greed. 

But  true  to  duty  stand, 
Daring  to  be 
Firm,  honest,  free, 

Heeding  but  God's  command ; 

Men  who  won't  truckle. 
Nor  cringe,  nor  knuckle. 

To  capital  and  pelf. 
Nor  right  betray. 
Nor  justice  slay 

To  serve  and  pamper  self; 


214  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

'<  Men  who  can  see 

/  What  ought  to  be, 

And  seeing,  can  advocate — 
Who  understand 
The  time's  demand. 
And  then  can  legislate. 

Lord,  give  such  men 
Just  now^.    And  then, 

If  comes  the  worst,  we  're  sure 
With  thee  as  King, 
We'll  shout  and  sing 

Our  liberty  's  secure. 


ITS  CAUSE. 


The  life  of  man  is  but  a  span — 
A  bird  of  night  of  swiftest  flight, 
A  bird  of  day  that  sings  its  lay, 
That  greets  its  mate,  then  meets  its  fate — 
Enjoying  pleasure,  hoarding  treasure — 
New  ventures  trying,  then  fading,  dying! 
But  what's  its  cause?    That  gives  us  pause! 
A  thought  so  great  compels  debate. 
Somehow,  somewhere,  here,  yonder,  there, 
Beginning  was,  and  had  its  cause. 
A  mighty  Hand  creation's  wand, 
In  wisdom,  grace,  waved  over  space! 
A  sleepless  Eye,  since  then,  sees  why 
From  pole  to  pole  the  seasons  roll, 
Knows  very  well  the  weary  spell 
Of  human  life — probation's  strife. 
Yes,  why,  He  knows,  life  comes  and  goes — 
Why  man  should  be — ^his  destiny — 
All,  all  is  known  to  the  Existing  One. 
1S97. 


His  Ozvn  Writings  215 

LIFE— WHAT  IS  IT? 

A  life  on  earth!     What  is  it,  tell  me,  pray? 
A  ding-dong  hustle  all  the  livelong  day; 
Care,  toil,  distraction,  sorrow,  joy; 
Man,  woman,  baby,  girl,  or  boy; 
Necessities'  perplexing,  pressing  claims ; 
Fashion  harassing  grave  and  anxious  dames. 
Demands  of  business  rushing  busy  men ; 
The  thirst  for  pleasure  burning  in  your  bosom  when 
Stern  duty  shouts  imperative.  Deny  thyself! — 
A  tear,  a  pra3'er,  a  rush  for  sordid  pelf; 
A  high  resolve — a  yielding  to  temptation's  power ; 
A  fortune  swept  away  in  one  short  hour ; 
Failing  of  strength,  a  funeral  dirge,  a  grave, 
From  which  no  power  on  earth  the  rich  or  poor  can  save ! 
And  is  this  life  on  earth?     It  is,  unless 
You  anchor  high  your  hopes,  and  strive  to  bless 
The  world  by  living  joyfully  a  life  of  self-denial, 
Braving  the  world's  cold  scorn,  enduring  calmly  sorest  trial — 
A  life  that  looks  to  Christ  for  joys  that  are  to  be 
In  a  blest  home  of  human  immortality ! 
1897. 


A  HAPPY  NEW  YEAR! 

A  Happy  New  Year !    A  Happy  New  Year ! 
A  year  overflowing  with  health  and  good  cheer; 

With  mercies  all  crowded, 

With  ills  unbeclouded. 

With  life's  path  never  drear, 

But  of  sorrow  swept  clear ; 
Yes,  we  wish  to  you  all  such  a  Happy  New  Year ! 

A  Happy  New  Year !     A  Happy  New  Year ! 

Would  you  have  it,  my  friends  ?    Then  be  sure  you  steer  clear 

Of  evil's  infection. 

Of  the  wine  cup's  seduction. 

Of  the  infidel's  sneer. 

And  the  hypocrite's  tear. 
And  to  you  this  will  be  a  Happy  New  Year  1 


216  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kepliart 

A  Happ.v  New  Year!     A  Happy  New  Year! 

Would  }OU  have  it  throughout  bright,  full  of  good  cheer? 

Give  your  heart  to  the  Lord, 

Feast  your  soul  on  his  Word, 

Your  conscience  keep  clear, 

God,  the  Mighty  One,  fear. 
And  then  yours  will  be  a  mo^t  Happy  New  Year. 
December  _'<?,  1S98. 


WORDS. 


Words  are  but  words.     Yet  if  through  them  are  In-eathed 
A  soul's  pure,  noble  thought  and  love's  supreme, 
True  blessing,  then  it  is  that  words  become 
The  richest,  rarest  jewels  radiant 
That  can  be  set  in  mortal  diadem. 

With  thoughtful  care  choose,  then,  your  words.     ?ilake  them 
The  vehicles  of  wisdom,  truth,  and  love 
To  be — of  sentiments  which  turn  the  thoughts 
Of  all  who  hear  or  read  to  noble  deeds —  • 

To  contemplate  God's  kindly  providence. 
To  hope  for  better,  nobler  things  to  come — 
To  high  resolves  and  firm  belief  of  what, 
Within  the  reach  of  possibility. 
There  is  of  good  for  man  to  be  attained. 
So  speak,  so  write ;    nor  in  vain  speech  indulge. 
Then  shall  thy  words,  like  jewels  in  thy  coronet 
Of  everlasting  righteousness,  shine  forth 
For  evermore;    nor  thou,  crestfallen,  stand 
Before  the  Lord  account  to  give  "for  vain 
And  idle  words,"  when  he  shall  judge  the  world. 
1897. 


SAVE  ]\IE   NOW. 

1   am  thine,  my  dear  Redeemer — 

Thou  hast  bought  me  with  thy  blood ; 

Safe  within  thy  arms  I  'd  linger. 
Sweetly  trusting  in  thy  love. 


^  s 


">3    »0 


C^ 


■^ 


His  Oivn  Writings  '   2\\ 

Chorus. 
Save  me  now,  save  me  now — 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now ; 
Safe  within  thy  arms  I  'd  linger ; 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now. 

I  have  roamed,  a  homeless  orphan, 

Ragged,  hungry,  thirsty,  poor. 
With  no  friend  my  soul  to  comfort, 

Begging,  sad,  from  door  to  door. 

Chorus. 
Save  me  now,  save  me  now — 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now ; 
With  no  friend  my  soul  to  comfort, 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now. 

Oh !  I  lean  upon  thy  bosom — 

There  alone  I  feel  secure ; 
Other  refuge  gives  no  comfort ; 

In  thy  arms  my  peace  is  pure. 

Chorus. 
Save  me  now,  save  me  now — 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now ; 
Other  refuge  gives  no  comfort ; 
Jesus,  Master,  save  me  now. 
September,  1895. 


HUMOROUS 


PAT   BRADY'S   COGITATIONS.— NO.   I. 

Mickey,  Mickey,  sure  an'  it 's  nieself  that  has  been  cogi- 
tatin'.  Ye  see,  for  the  life  o'  me,  I  never  could  undershtand 
why  the  horrens  should  grow  on  the  cows'  heads  and  on  the 
roosters'  legs.  Troth,  an'  it 's  said  that  nater  makes  no  mis- 
takes;  and  I  thought  sure  an'  here  is  one  mistake  for  Mist'her 
Nater,  any  way,  till  one  day  I  caught  a  biddy,  an'  the  ould 


218  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

rooster  jumped  right  onto  me  back  and  struck  two  holes  into 
me  shoulders  as  clane  as  ye  could  have  done  it  wid  a  pitch- 
fork. Thin,  said  I,  sure  an'  nater  is  right  ag'in ;  for  whin 
the  rooster  leaped  upon  me  back,  his  whole  weight  was  there 
to  shove  in  the  horrens.  But,  Mickey,  did  ye  iver  see  one  of 
thim  queer  burreds  they  have  in  America,  called  a  torkey-pin  ? 
Ye  see,  it  is  all  the  same  as  torkey,  only  they  put  "pin"  to 
his  name,  beca'se  his  feathers  are  all  sharp  at  one  end,  and 
are  set  wid  tlie  sharp  end  out,  the  same  as  pins.  Well,  would 
ye  belave  me  for  a  murderin'  son  o'  ould  Erin,  but  when 
ye  come  near  the  crather,  he  will  not  run  at  all;  but  jist 
double  himself  into  a  hape  an'  draw  in  his  head  as  if  he  had 
cramp  colic,  an'  thin  the  divil  himself  couldn't  touch  him 
widout  havin'  half  a  hundred  or  more  of  thim  sharp  feathers 
run  into  his  fingers.  Now,  sure  as  I  'm  a  born  sinner,  every 
word  I  'm  a  tellin'  ye  is  as  true  as  gospel ;  and  although  I  've 
bin  a  cogitatin'  for  3'ears,  I  cannot,  for  the  life  o'  me,  see  the 
use  sich  feathers  are  to  sich  a  burred,  unless  it  is  to  jag 
yer  fingers  if  ye  go  to  pick  it  up. 

An'  thin,  Mickey,  they  have  another  queer  burred  in  Amer- 
ica. They  call  it  the  horrinet ;  an'  sure  an'  he  can  horn  it, 
for  sartin',  an'  no  mistake.  He  is  not  big,  but  he  is  mighty, 
you  better  believe.  He  is  only  about  the  size  o'  yer  thumb 
nail,  but  whin  he  shtrikes  ye,  ye  think  he  weighs  a  ton. 
Unlike  all  other  burreds  I  've  seen,  he  has  one  horren,  an' 
while  the  cow  wears  her  horrens  on  her  head,  an'  the  rooster 
his  on  his  legs,  this  burred  wears  his  right  in  the  end  o'  his 
tail,  an'  seems  all  the  time  to  have  it  surcharged  wid  jusht 
one  drop  o'  the  quintessence  o'  fire  an'  brimstone,  which  he 
niver  fails  to  leave  wid  ye  if  he  strikes  ye.  Och,  the  Lored 
pity  me,  but  I  shall  niver  forgit  till  the  day  o'  me  death,  the 
time  I  run  into  a  flock  o'  these  murderin'  craters.  It  was 
soon  after  I  landid  in  America,  an'  I  was  a  walkin'  through 
the  bush  a  cogitatin',  wid  me  shelalah  in  me  hand,  whin, 
all  of  a  sudden,  I  heard  a  humniin'  noise  about  me  head,  an' 
quick  as  thought  I  prepared  to  parry  blows  wid  me  shelalah, 
•whin,  holy  Saint  Patrick!  if  they  didn't  .shlrikc  me  wid  their 
horrins  all  around  me  head,  in  me  face  an'  on  me  nose,  an'  I, 
blind  wid  pain,  dropped  me  shelalah  an'  rushed  through  the 
bush  into  the  road,  an'  run  for  dare  life,  until  I  met  a  kind 
sort  o'  man,  an'  he  fold  me  that  I  had  shtirred  up  a  horrinets' 
nest,  and  I  told  him  I  thought  so,  too.     He  took  me  to  his 


His  Ozvn  Writings  219 

house,  and  was  kind  to  me,  an'  for  three  days  I  niver  seed 
the  sun  in  the  heavens  nor  any  other  man,  so  tight  were  me 
eyes  shwelled  up;  an'  for  a  whole  week  me  nose  was  four 
times  as  big  as  any  Irishman's  nose  ought  to  be. 

Well,  Mickey,  from  that  blessed  day,  I  've  been  a  cogitatin', 
an'  for  the  life  o'  me,  I  cannot  see  what  thim  horrinet  burreds 
was  made  for,  anyhow.  They  might  do  to  help  the  divil  to 
punish  heretics ;  but,  then,  it  seems  to  me  their  place  would 
be  in  purgatory  an'  not  in  this  blessed  wurrld.  But  sure, 
Mickey,  we  cannot  know  everything;  an'  why  bodder  our 
brains  about  such  questions?  It's  meself  what  thinks  as 
how  we  'd  better  take  the  horrinet  burreds  as  a  fact,  and  be 
careful  to  keep  out  o'  their  way,  rather  than  be  a  dramin' 
over  why  they  were  made  an'  walk  right  in  among  them  to 
be  shtung  widin  a  inch  o'  our  lives. 

So,  Mickey,  after  much  experience  an'  deep  cogitatin',  I 
conclude  that  it  is  better  to  look  sharp  about  ye  an'  keep  out 
o'  the  way  o'  the  divil's  traps,  rather  thin,  wid  yer  eyes  shet, 
and  yer  brain  busy  in  tryin'  to  tell  why  he  was  allowed  to 
set  thim  traps,  walk  right  into  thim  and  be  cotched.  To 
meself,  it  niver  mattered  mutch  as  to  how  or  why  the 
praties  grow'd;  but  I  alius  was  mighty  anxshus  to  be  sartin' 
they  were  a  growin' ;  an'  consequentl}',  I  'se  alius  had  praties 
enough  to  ate,  an'  a  few  to  shpare.  But  there  's  Tim  O'Shan- 
non,  I  've  seen  him  a  shtandin'  around  for  days  at  a  time, 
wid  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  a  cogitatin'  as  to  how  and  why 
praties  grow,  an'  niver  doin'  a  blessid  hand's  turn  to  make 
any  grow,  an'  I  've  niver  know'd  the  day  whin  Tim  had 
praties  enough  of  his  own  to  ate. 

So,  Mickey,  cogitatin'  is  good  in  its  place;  but  for  makin' 
praties  grow  an'  keepin'  out  o'  the  way  o'  horrinet  burreds, 
give  me  honest  work  an'  a  sharp  lookout. 


PAT   BRADY'S   COGITATIONS.— NO.   II. 

Mickey,  me  bye,  now  mind  what  I  tell  ye,  an'  don't  ye 
forgit  it.  There  is  some  cogitatin'  as  is  profitable,  an'  some 
as  is  not  worth  a  sint.  Now,  it  is  the  wise  man  as  can  discern 
between  profitable  and  unprofitable  cogitatin'.  For  meself,  I 
must  confess  I  've  spent  much  time  in  unprofitable  cogitatin' ; 


220  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

but  I  don't  do  it  any  more.  For  instance,  it  was  for  a  long 
time,  a  matter  of  great  concern  to  me  why  ould  Brindle 
would  niver  kick  till  the  pail  was  more  'n  half  full  of  milk; 
but  now  I  niver  cogitates  over  that  same  thing  at  all,  at  all, 
for  it  is  sumthin'  no  mortal  man  can  iver  find  out;  an'  what's 
the  use  a  botherin'  about  it.  Only  keep  a  sharp  lookout  that 
Brindle  don't  upset  the  pail  or  git  her  foot  into  it.  That 's 
the  p'int  as  needs  watchin'. 

An'  thin,  Mickey,  fwhat  's  the  use  in  cogitatin'  as  to  fwhat 
yoiu  'd  do  wid  one  million  dollars,  if  ye  had  thim,  whin  the 
good  Lorred  himself  knows  as  yez  are  no  more  likely  to 
iver  have  that  much  money  thin  ould  Brindle  is  to  climb 
backwards  up  a  tree  and  find  her  calf  in  a  crow's  nest.  Better 
be  a  shtirrin'  of  yerself  and  a  fryin'  to  honestly  earn  one  dol- 
lar, thin  be  a  dramin"  over  the  nice  things  ye  'ud  buy  if  ye 
had  a  million. 

But,  Mickey,  there  are  .some  things  in  this  blissed  America 
about  which  I  can't  for  the  life  o'  me  help  a  cogitatin',  even 
whin  I  know  very  well  that  it  won't  do  one  bit  o'  good.  For 
instance:  I  cannot  till  this  blissed  day  undershtand  why  the 
court  should  license  men  of  good  moral  character,  like  Mike 
Malooney  (but  it 's  meself  as  cannot  see  where  the  "good 
moral  character"  is  in  Mike)  to  sell  the  manest  rotgut  whisky 
ye  iver  drank,  an'  make  poor  divils  like  yerself  drunk,  an' 
thin  that  same  court  send  you  to  jail  for  bein'  drunk!  Surely, 
if  it's  a  crime  to  git  drunk,  men  of  good  moral  character 
shouldn't  be  licensed  to  tempt  poor  divils,  sich  as  we  are,  to 
drink  mane,  rotgut  whisky.  An'  thin,  Mickey,  why  should 
they  tempt  a  poor  bye,  like  yerself,  to  tell  a  lie  to  git  a  drink 
o'  whisky,  an'  thin  sind  him  thirty  days  to  jail  for  tellin'  that 
same  lie.  Sure  an'  they  have  some  strange  laws  in  this 
blissed  Amerike !  It 's  meself  that  can't  help  a  cogitatin' 
over  them. 


A  REJECTED  LOVER'S  SOLILOQUY. 

I  sot  me  down  in  thought  profound. 

This  maxim  wise  I  drew  ; 
It's  easier  fo.r  to  luv  a  gal 

Than  maik  a  gal  luv  you. 
(That's  what  pains  me  now.) 


His  Ozcn  Writings  221 

Now  little  Cupid,  god  of  luv, 

I  'm  sorrowful,  yea,  sad  ; 
If  I  could  maik  that  gal  luv  me, 

I  'd  be  most  mighty  glad. 
(You  bet  your  life  I  would.) 

I  've   tried  my  smiles,   I  've   tried  my  cash, 

But  all  to  no  avail ; 
Last  night  she  flung  me  all  to  smash, 

Because  I  tramped  her  trail. 
(An  accident — the  trail  was  so  confounded 
long — but    she   got   madder   'n   blazes.) 

I  give  it  up,  't  is  of  no  use ; 

Gals  are  confounded  nice. 
But  if  you  maik  a  small  mistake, 

They  '11  fling  you  in  a  trice. 
(That's  the  way  she  served  me — she  did.) 

I  loved  that  gal,  indeed  I  did, 

And  felt  so  very  glad ; 
By  accident  I  tramped  her  trail. 

And  she  got  ravin'  mad. 
(And  she  called  me  an  oJd  clod-hopper,  and 
said  I  might  go  to  the  dickens.     That 
curdled  my  blood.     I  sweat.     I  've  felt 
bad  ever  since.) 


A  NEGRO'S  EXPERIENCE  WITH   BEES  AS  GIVEN 
BY  HIMSELF. 

In  Camp  Stevenson,  front  of  Petersburg,  Virginia,  on  a 
certain  evening  in  December,  1864,  any  one  standing  outside 
the  tent  of  the  chaplain  of  the  Twentj^-first  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry  and  listening,  might  have  heard  the  following  nar- 
rated to  the  chaplain  with  pure  negro  enthusiasm  by  the 
colonel's  servant,  who  gave  his  age  as  forty-nine  years  and 
his  name  as  "Ruffin  Nathaniel  Seagen  Short,"  with  consid- 
erable emphasis  on  "Short" : 


222  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

"My  ole  mistress  lived  on  de  ole  plantation  five  miles  sour 
of  Reams  Station.  When  Massa  Wilson's  cavalry  passed 
through  dar,  de  Yankees  hitch  dar  hosses  to  de  fence,  hump 
over  in  de  ya'd,  tu'n  up  de  bee-boxes,  put  in  dar  hands,  take 
out  de  honey  in  big  chunks,  git  on  dar  horses  eatin'  honey, 
laffin'  and  talkin'  all  de  time,  and  ride  off,  de  bees  a-f^yin' 
all  around  and  nevah  stung  um  onst. 

"When  de  Yankees  war  all  done  gone,  t'inks  I,  if  de  Yanks 
can  git  honey  and  de  bees  no  sting  um,  dis  nigga  can  do  so, 
too.  So  I  jis'  goes  to  de  fence,  jumps  over  it,  walks  rite  up, 
bold  like,  to  de  bee-boxes,  all  black  wid  bees,  and  stoops  down 
to  put  my  hand  in  like  the  Yanks  had  done.  Ungh !  Lo'd-a- 
massa!  jis'  'peared  to  me  dat  dat  minute  every  last  bee  left 
dat  box  and  flewed  rite  into  my  face ;  Lo'd !  I  runned  my 
head  into  a  little  peach-tree  an'  shook  um  off;  I  tumbled 
heels  ovah  head  in  de  grass,  an'  I  was  suah  dey  kill  dis  nigga 
afoa  he  ever  git  out  of  dat  ya'd.  Lo'd-a-massa !  nevah  was 
stung  so  in  my  life.    Since  den  I  no  do  much  wid  bees." 


CONUNDRUM. 

Take  away  my  first  and  I  am  cold. 

Take  away  my  second  and  I  am  sold. 

Take  away  my  first  and  second  and  you  make  me  old. 

Take  away  my  first  and  fourth  and  you  make  me  a  fish. 

Take  away  my  second  and  fourth  and  you  make  me  a  sod. 

Take  away  my  second  and  fifth  and  you  make  me  a  note  in 
music. 

Now  if  my  name  I  have  not  told. 
You  need  not  grumble,  scowl,  nor  scold.' 
And  if  my  name  you  cannot  guess, 
I'll  scold  j'ou  for  your  stupidness. 


A  LETTER  ON    HOUSE-CLEANING. 

Dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  :  We  have  had  an  awful  time,  but 
we  still  survive.  We  were  struck  by  a  hurricane,  a  cyclone, 
and   a  tornado   all    at  once.     It  conmienccd  in   the   attic;     it 


His  Ozvn  Writings  223 

swept  through  the  halls;  it  roared  and  raged  through  the 
chambers,  parlor,  sitting-room,  dining-room,  and  kitchen,  and 
ended  in  the  cellar !  Furniture  was  flung  on  heaps  in  every 
direction !  Carpets  were  torn  up  and  whirled  out  into  the 
yard !  Clouds  upon  clouds  of  dust  filled  the  air,  and  torrents 
of  soap-suds  drenched  every  nook  and  corner  in  the  entire 
ranch !  Brooms,  mops,  and  whitewash  brushes  swung  in 
every  direction,  and  if  ever  a  poor  mortal  felt  that  he  had  no 
place  to  lay  or  poke  his  head  for  safety,  it  was  your  humble 
servant  at  this  time ! 

My  better  one-half  was  ubiquitous.  She  seemed  to  be  in 
the  attic,  in  the  chambers,  in  the  parlor,  kitchen,  and  cellar 
all  at  the  same  time,  directing  the  hired  help,  doing  a  little 
of  everything,  but  especially  bossing,  praising,  and  scolding 
me.  Poor  me !  I  was  the  most  frightened,  forlorn,  sub- 
missive, not-knowing-what-to-do,  God-forsaken  man  you  ever 
saw  in  all  your  life.  Ordered,  praised,  directed,  and  made 
fun  of  by  three  women  at  the  same  time,  all  of  whom  I  was 
vainly  striving  to  please,  and  prominent  among  them  was  my 
own  better  nine-tenths,  is  it  any  wonder  that  I  felt  like  a  stray 
dog  with  a  tin  pan  tied  to  his  tail? 

Did  I  swear?  Not  a  bit  of  it.  No  amount  of  swearing 
could  have  begun  to  do  the  subject  justice.  I  shook  carpet 
till  my  shoulders  ached;  I  whipped  carpet  till  my  arms  were 
sore  for  a  week,  only  to  be  told  by  my  better  nineteen-twen- 
tieths  that  it  was  half  done !  I  lifted  beds,  bureaus,  book- 
cases, sinks,  cupboards,  heaters,  and  stoves  until  my  back 
was  almost  broke!  I  was  so  long  on  my  knees  (not  praying, 
for  prayer  would  not  reach  the  case)  tacking  down  carpet 
that  for  nearly  a  week  each  knee  felt  as  if  it  were  afflicted  with 
one  of  Josh  Billings'  "biles."  At  night  I  would  retire  to  my 
couch  (hastily  and  temporarily  thrown  together),  not  to  sleep, 
for  I  was  to  tired  to  do  that,  but  to  muse  over  the  woes  and 
miseries  to  which  we  poor  men  are  subjected  at  house-cleaning 
time,  and  to  thank  a  merciful  Providence  for  having  ordained 
that  the  calamity  shall  not  strike  us  oftener  than  twice  a  year. 

Well,  it  is  over,  and  my  better  forty-nine-fiftieths  is  as 
happy  as  a  cricket  again.  She  says  it  was  just  a  splendid 
time ;  that  we  had  such  good  weather ;  that  the  hired  help 
did  so  well;  that  the  whitewashing  is  excellent,  and  that,  in 
spite  of  my  awkwardness,  I  did  almost  as  well  as  I  had  ever 
done  before.     Of  course,  I  am  glad  she  is  pleased  and  happy. 


224  Life  of  Isaiali  L.  Kcphart 

but  for  three  mortal  days  1  have  been  vainly  striving  to  ascer- 
tain whether  the  bit  of  praise  she  gives  me  is  really  a  com- 
pliment or  not.  Can  you  tell?  But  I  guess  it  is  all  right. 
You  know  women  have  such  a  queer  way  of  expressing  them- 
selves. But,  in  spite  of  myself,  it  does  creep  up  my  back  that 
she  might  have  been  a  little  more  definite  in  saying  that  I 
had  done  first  rate.  You  know  we  men  like  to  be  praised,  too. 
Well,  my  chief  consolation  now  is  that  there  are  at  least 
five  long  months  between  us  and  another  house-cleaning ;  and 
if,  when  that  time  comes,  I  am  not  away  from  home  for  a 
week  on  very  important  business,  you  may  put  me  down  for 
an  idiot.  But  come  to  see  us  now,  soon,  while  the  house  is 
clean.  You  will  find  my  better  ninety-nine-one-hundredths  in 
a  splendid  humor — provided  you  come  before  the  house  gets 
dirtv. 


A  LITTLE  DECEPTION   AND  HOW  IT  ENDED. 

Years  ago  there  lived,  in  rather  affluent  circumstances,  an 
aged  pair,  in  o.ne  of  the  rural  districts  of  Pennsylvania.  Their 
only  child,  a  lass  of  twenty-five  summers,  contributed  greatly 
to  the  peace  and  joy  of  their  declining  days.  The  father  wa-. 
content.  He  had  an  abundance  of  this  world's  goods,  both 
for  himself,  his  wife,  and  daughter;  and  the  assurance  th;.t 
he  should  leave  his  daughter  an  estate  that  would  place  her 
quite  bej'-ond  the  reach  of  want  was  to  him  a  source  of  com- 
plete satisfaction.  Not  so  with  the  mother,  however.  In  her 
maternal  eyes,  lands  and  money  were  all  well  enough,  and  if, 
in  addition  to  these,  she  could  see  her  Betsey  Jane  properly 
married,  then  she  would  feel  ready  to  close  her  eyes  in  peace 
upon  the  vanities  of  this  world. 

Unfortunately,  however,  Betsey  Jane  was  not  very  pre- 
possessing in  her  personal  appearance,  and  besides  this,  as  if 
to  still  further  diminish  her  chances  in  the  matrimon'al 
market,  she  was  "near-sighted."  This  being  generally  known, 
it  was  sufficient  to  blight  all  prospects  of  her  securing  a  beau 
among  the  young  men  of  the  neighborhood  in  which  she 
lived.  However,  fortune  seemed  to  favor  the  family  at  last, 
by  bringing  to  their  district  a  young  and  apparently  somewhat 
susceptible  pedagogue. 


His  Ozvn  Writings  225 

Enoch  Smith,  learning  that  Betsey  Jane  was  sole  heir  to 
the  valuable  estate  of  Jonathan  Burgundy,  suddenly  becam.^ 
a  great  admirer  of  her,  and  although  his  days  were  occupied 
in  "wielding  the  birch  and  teaching  the  young  idea  how  to 
shoot,"  many  of  his  evenings  were  spent  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Burgundy,  in  company  with  that  gentleman's  daughter.  Now 
Enoch  was  a  very  proper  j'-oung  man.  He  wore  a  moustache, 
flourished  a  cane,  and  smoked  cigars;  and  besides  this,  he 
was  the  schoolmaster,  and  quite  a  scholar  at  that.  Hence  it 
is  not  at  all  surprising  that  both  Mother  Burgundy  and 
Betsey  Jane  were  highly  pleased  with  his  attentions,  and  did 
all  they  could,  consistent  with  the  rules  of  propriety,  to  encour- 
age his  visits.  Things  went  on  very  prosperously  and  agree- 
ably to  all  parties  for  a  time;  but,  alas,  "true  love  never  did 
run  smooth,"  nor  was  it  to  do  so  in  this  case.  Some  of  the 
young  misses  of  the  district,  envying  Betsey  Jane  her  good 
luck,  resolved  to  demolish  at  once  all  her  air  castles  by 
informing  Enoch  that  she  was  near-sighted.  The  news  was 
stunning  in  its  effect  on  him,  and  overwhelmed  him  with 
perplexity.  He  did  not  like  to  miss  such  a  grand  prize  as 
was  presented  in  the  valuable  estate  of  Jonathan  Burgundy, 
nor  oould  he  brook  the  idea  of  being  bound  for  life  to  a 
near-sighted  woman.  In  this  state  of  perplexity,  he,  like  an 
honest  lover,  sought  an  early  interview  with  his  espoused, 
and  at  once  unburdened  his  mind  to  her.  She,  of  course, 
denied  the  charge  outright,  and  assured  him  that  it  was  all 
the  result  of  jealousy  upon  the  part  of  the  girls.  This  seemed 
so  reasonable  that  he  was  quite  satisfied  and  left  for  school 
with  a  light  heart.  That  day  Betsey  Jane,  like  a  dutiful  child, 
informed  her  mother  of  what  had  passed  between  her  and 
Enoch  at  their  last  interview.  The  far-seeing  old  lady,  at 
once  comprehending  the  situation,  said :  "We  can  easily  fix 
that.  You  see  this  spot  on  the  floor  here,  Betsey  Jane.  Now 
the  next  evening  that  Enoch  is  here,  you  lay  a  pin  on  this 
spot,  and  then  when  the  candle  is  burning  dim  and  Enoch 
and  the  old  man  are  busy  talking,  you  say  all  at  once,  'Why, 
mother,  there  lies  a  pin,'  and  then  jump  up  and  bring  it  to 
me,  and  he  will  then  know  to  a  certainty  that  your  eyes  are 
good."  Matters  were  all  arranged.  The  candle  was  burning 
dimly  on  the  table.  The  old  man  and  Enoch  were  discussing 
the  probabilities  of  an  early  spring.  The  old  lady  sat  knit- 
ting;   her  white  cap  and  carefullj^-adjusted  spectacles  giving 


226  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcpliart 

her  the  very  appearance  of  innocence  and  motherly  kindness. 
Betsey  Jane,  with  blushing  modesty,  sat  paring  and  snitting 
apples.  The  fire  was  burning  gently  on  the  hearth,  and  kitty 
was  purring  by  the  old  lady's  side.  All  at  once,  so  naturally 
and  so  unintentionally,  Betsey  Jane  exclaims,  "Why,  mother, 
there  lays  a  pin." 

"Where?"  says  the  old  lady. 

"Why,  over  there  by  the  wall.     Don't  you  see  it?" 

"Why,  no,"  exclaims  the  mother,  "I  can't  see  it." 

"Why,  I  do,"  says  Betsey,  and  with  that  she  springs  to  her 
feet,  trips  across  the  floor  and  brings  the  pin  in  triumph  to 
her  mother. 

It  had  worked  like  a  charm,  and  all  lingering  doubts  as  to 
the  acuteness  of  Betsey's  vision  were  now  completely  eradi- 
cated from  Enoch's  mind.  Now  he  was  certain  that  it  was  a 
false  report,  the  product  of  the  jealousy  of  those  envious 
schoolgirls. 

The  night  wore  away,  and  the  hands  of  the  mantel  clock 
now  indicated  the  time  when  sensible  old  folks  retire  and 
leave  young  folks  to  themselves.  Enoch  and  the  old  man 
closed  their  discussion.  The  old  lady  had  laid  aside  her 
knitting  and  turned  her  chair  to  the  fire.  Betsey  Jane,  slightly 
embarrassed,  as  timid  j^oung  ladies  will  be  at  such  a  time,  sat 
gazing  into  the  fire  and  wondering  why  "dad  and  mam"  did 
not  go  to  bed.  The  candle  was  burning  quite  dimly  on  the 
table,  on  which,  unfortunately,  had  been  left  a  large  white 
pitcher,  which,  at  a  distance  and  to  a  near-sighted  person, 
looked  exactly  like  a  large  white  torn  cat  that  frequented  the 
apartments.  Suddenly  the  keen  eye  of  Betsey  Jane  caught 
sight  of  the  pitcher,  and  at  once  supposing  it  to  be  the  cat, 
and  being  shocked  at  the  thought  of  Enoch  seeing  kitty  so 
much  out  of  his  place,  stamped  her  foot  and  exclaimed, 
"Scat!  scat!" 

The  cat  apparently  paying  no  attention  to  her  voice,  she 
sprang  to  her  feet,  and  before  her  terrified  mother  could 
interfere,  ran  to  the  table  and  struck  the,  as  she  supposed, 
cat  a  violent  blow  with  her  open  hand,  which  sent  the  large 
pitcher  into  fragments  to  the  farther  side  of  the  room.  It  is 
sufficient  to  add  that  Enoch  Smith  did  not  marry  Betsey  Jane 
Burgundy. 


His  Ozvn  Writings  227 

TO  CURE  A  BUNION. 

Soak  the  bunion 

In  the  juice  of  an  onion, 
And  tuck  yourself  snug  into  bed; 

Then  rise  at  day  dawn, 

Walk  forth  on  the  lawn. 

And  bathe  it  anew 

In  the  sparkling  dew 
Till  it  blushes  a  neat,  pinky  red. 

Then  tenderly  dress  it — 

But  never  compress  it — 
Run  barefoot  the  livelong  day, 

And  treat  that  same  bunion 

With  the  juice  of  an  onion 
Each  night,  and  each  morn 

With  the  dew  of  the  lawn, 
In  exactly  the  selfsame  way. 

Then  each  night  before  sleeping, 
Rub  gently,  repeating, 

Onion, 

Bunion, 

Dewdrop, 

Do  stop 
All  this  hurting; 

And  I  promise 

In  the  presence 

Of  high  heaven, 

You,  my  bunion, 

With  juice  of  onion 

Ne'er  to  dress  you. 

Nor  compress  you. 


PIOUS,  ECCENTRIC,  AND  PUGILISTIC. 

Forty  years  ago,  in  Clearfield  County,  Pennsylvania,  Dennis 
C.  and  Benjamin  L.  lived  neighbors  to  each  other.  They 
were   both   enthusiastic   members   of   the   church.     C.   was   a 


228  Life  of  Isaiali  L.  Kcphart 

six-footer  of  powerful  frame  and  muscle.  L.  was  small  and 
lean,  but  wiry.  C.  was  deliberate  and  positive  in  his  manner. 
L.  was  impulsive,  fier}',  and  violent.  Both  were  as  original 
and  eccentric  in  their  manners  as  it  was  possible  for  men  to 
be — genuine  "backwoodsmen,"  and  withal  very  faithful  in 
attending  all  the  regular  church  meetings.  Being  neighbors 
to  each  other,  all  those  little  neighborly  courtesies  common 
among  pioneers  passed  between  them,  unless  the  How  of 
"the  milk  oi  human  kindness"  was  interrupted  by  some 
trifling  misunderstanding.  Unfortunately  this  was  often  the 
case — in  fact,  it  could  not  be  otherwise.  Two  men  so  odd 
and  peculiar  in  their  views  and  manners,  so  very  jealous  of 
their  rights  and  opinions,  and  associating  together  so  fre- 
quently, could  not  but  disagree  often.  When  thej-  were  on 
friendly  terms  they  could  not  be  kind  enough  to  each  other, 
and  when  they  had  a  petty  disagreement  thej-  were  very 
bitter.  However,  their  wrath  being  intense,  it  soon  consumed 
itself,  and  Brother  C.  and  Brother  L.  were  soon  reconciled 
to  each  other  again. 

When  the  members  oi  the  church  of  the  neighborhood 
assembled  for  prayer  and  experience  meetings,  these  two 
brothers  were  sure  to  be  present,  and  C.  was  much  given  to 
making  long  prayers.  A  peculiarity  of  his  pra\'ers  that 
rendered  them  doubly  interesting  to  gossipers  was  the  fact 
that  he  was  always  very  particular  to  tell  "the  Lord"  all 
about  his  troubles.  If  he  and  neighbor  L.  had  recently  had 
a  little  wrangle,  in  his  prayer  he  would  go  through  all  the 
particulars,  presenting  all  to.  "the  Lord,"  and  in  that  way 
lay  the  whole  matter  before  the  neighbors.  This  peculiarity 
of  C.'s  prayers  often  rendered  them  very  annoying  to  L., 
and  had  much  to  do  in  the  way  of  restraining  his  impulsive 
nature  and  causing  him,  as  far  as  possible,  to  avoid  a  "set-to" 
with  C.  He  very  much  disliked  having  all  the  neighbors 
know  every  time  he  and  C.  had  a  little  quarrel. 

One  day  C.'s  hogs  broke  into  L.'s  buckwheat  patch.  L. 
immediately  set  upon  them  with  his  two  big  dogs,  which  gave 
the  swine  a  severe  shaking  and  set  their  ears  to  bleeding, 
and  sent  them  home  at  as  high  a  rate  of  speed  as  that  with 
which  the  herd  of  Gadara  ran  down  into  the  sea.  When  the 
dignified,  deliberate  C.  saw  his  five  shoats  walking  around 
holding  their  heads  to  one  side  and  their  ears  all  blood,  he 
"felt  very  much  hurt,"  and  concluded  to  walk  over  and  see 


His  Oz^ji  Writings  21^) 

Brother  L.  about  it.  He  found  him  in  his  buckwheat  patch, 
trying  to  repair  the  damage  done  by  the  hogs,  and  in  no 
amiable  mood.  Each  portrayed  his  grievance  to  the  other, 
C.  dwelling  with  force  upon  the  injury  inflicted  on  the  hogs, 
and  L.  on  the  damage  done  to  the  buckwheat,  and  each  assert- 
ing to  the  other  in  loud,  positive  words  that  the  man  who 
would  do  such  a  thing  could  not  be  a  Christian,  no  matter 
what  his  profession  might  be.  In  this  way  they  parted,  both 
angry. 

This  was  on  Wednesday,  and  on  the  following  Sabbath 
the  prayer-  and  class-meeting  was  to  be  held  at  the  house  of 
Brother  W.  L.  frequently  thought  of  the  trouble,  and  was 
most  annoyed  at  the  assurance  that  in  his  prayer  C.  would 
tell  all  his  neighbors  that  they  had  had  another  quarrel,  and 
that  he  (L.)  had  "dogged"  his  (C.'s)  hogs.  The  more  he 
thought  oi  this  the  more  anxious  he  became  to  efifect  a  recon- 
ciliation, and  thereby  avoid  exposure.  Hence,  on  Saturday 
evening  he  concluded  to  act  the  part  of  a  brother,  walk  over 
to  C.'s,  and,  if  possible,  be  reconciled  to  him,  and  thereby 
avoid  exposure.  He  did  so.  C.  at  first  was  very  stitY  and 
sullen,  but  as  soon  as  he  found  that  L.  was  in  a  friendly, 
yielding  mood  and  anxious  to  reconcile  their  difficulty,  he 
became  ecstatic  and  began  to  "thank  the  good  Lord"  that 
they  could  meet  as  "brethren,"  reconcile  their  troubles,  and 
thereby  avoid  bringing  scandal  on  the  church.  The  whole 
difficulty  was  amicably  settled  and  both  were  happy ;  but  L. 
was  very  particular  to  insist  upon  it  that  there  be  nothing 
said  in  any  way  or  at  any  place  by  which  the  neighbors  might 
learn  that  they  had  had  any  trouble.  This  being  distinctly 
understood,  L.  went  home  feeling  very  thankful  that  the  good 
Lord  had  put  it  into  his  head  to  go  and  see  Brother  C,  and 
had  enabled  them  to  so  completely  settle  their  difficulty. 
Sabbath  morning  came,  and  both  went  to  prayer-meeting, 
C.  feeling  happy  that  he  and  Brother  L.  had  so  completely 
triumphed  over  the  devil  and  settled  their  trouble,  and  L. 
feeling  so  glad  that  the  matter  was  not  to  be  exposed  in  C.'s 
long  prayer.  All  went  well  for  a  time.  The  meeting  was 
well  attended,  and  there  was  unusual  good  feeling.  Finally 
the  leader  called  on  C.  to  pray.  He  started  in  deliberately, 
as  was  his  wont,  and  with  unusual  unction.  But  he  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  he  had  to  begin  to  praise  the  Lord  for 
enabling  him  and   Brother  L.  to  triumph  over  the  devil   and 


230  Life  of  Isaiali  L.  Kcphart 

settle  their  recent  difficult\',  and  from  that  proceeded  to 
enlarge,  giving  particulars.  This  was  too  much  for  the 
impulsive  L.,  and  springing  to  his  feet  and  throwing  off  his 
coat,  he  ran  out  of  the  house  yelling  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 
"Fetch  him  out;    fetch  him  out!     I'll  lick  him  like  a  hound 

P"p!" 

Of  course  this  broke  up  the  meeting,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  the  brethren  succeeded  in  soothing  the  ruffled  feelings 
of  Brother  L.  This,  however,  was  accomplished  at  last,  and 
Brother  C.  ver}'  humbly  deplored  having  permitted  his  feel- 
ings to  run  away  with  his  memory  as  that  he  should  make 
such  a  grave  mistake.  Peace  being  restored,  the  meeting 
dispersed,  and  C.  walked  home  quite  deliberately,  thanking 
"the  good  Lord"  as  he  went  that,  in  spite  of  it  all,  they  had 
completely  whipped  the  devil  and  he  and  Brother  L.  were 
still  friends. 

November  14,  i8yp. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


PROVERBS. 


He  who  possesses  a  pure  spirit  and  a  grateful  heart  must 
ever  be  happy,  in  defiance  of  place  or  circumstances. 

The  real  man  is  a  man  of  independent  thought ;  the  wooden 
man  agrees  with  you  in  everything. 

He  who  diligently  elevates  his  aims,  cultivates  his  tastes, 
and  associates  with  men  of  high  endowments  will  be  esteemed 
and  honored  by  the  wise  and  virtuous. 

Evil  thoughts  are  man's  worst  enemies;  they  should  be 
sought  for  and  expelled  from  the  heart,  just  like  pioneers 
hunt  and  destroy  noxious  animals. 

He  who  aims  to  make  himself  known  and  felt  for  good  can 
but  be  happy. 

Expect  not  too  much  from  gay  associates ;  they  may  show 
favors,  but  the  real  advancement  of  your  own  interests 
depends,  and  must  ever  depend,  upon  your  own  diligent, 
personal  efforts. 

The  energetic,  the  enterprising,  and  not  the  over-refined 
are  the  successful  in  useful  pursuits. 


His  Ozvn  Writings  231 

Every  man  has  a  mind  of  his  own,  and  is  accountable  for 
his  belief. 

Prejudice  and  bigotry  are  prison  bars  to  improvement,  from 
which  every  soul  desirous  of  being  known  and  felt  for  good 
should  ever  keep  free. 

He  who  would  accomplish  the  mighty  work  of  living  well 
and  truly  must  preserve  a  proper  balance  of  the  physical, 
intellectual,  and  moral  parts  of  his  being. 

A  few  words,  the  utterance  of  true  and  elevated  feelings, 
produce  lasting  emotions  in  the  hearts  of  others;  while 
trifling  expressions,  the  more  their  number  are  increased,  the 
more  deep  and  lasting  the  disgust  they  excite. 

It  matters  not  how  much  we  afifect  to  be  true  men, — how 
many  artificial  airs  we  may  put  on, — our  true  character  will 
be  known  by  others.  The  only  successful  course  is  to  be  a 
true  man.  Let  the  actions  be  in  harmony  with  the  feelings 
and  sentiments. 

There  can  be  no  perfect  life  without  a  due  cultivation  of 
the  spiritual  nature. 


THE  END  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  end  of  education  is  the  solution  of  the  problem  of 
human  life.  The  problem  of  human  life  is  happiness.  True 
happiness — the  complete  satisfaction  of  mind  and  soul  thirst — 
is  salvation.  Salvation  is  character.  Therefore,  the  end  of 
education  is  human  character — true,  clean,  upright,  intelligent 
human  beings. 

Character  is  what  a  man  is — what  his  education,  his  envi- 
ronment, and  his  effort  have  made  him.  When  the  child  is 
born  it  knows  nothing — has  no  character.  It  is  only  possessed 
of  a  few  of  the  instincts  common  to  animal  life.  All  else 
has  to  be  learned.  Hence,  it  has  to  be,  will  be,  must  be  edu- 
cated ;  and  by  its  education,  active  and  passive,  the  distinctive 
quality  of  its  character  will  be  determined.  Therefore,  the 
end  of  education  is  the  formation  of  a  correct — that  is,  the 
best  kind  of  character  possible.  When  such  is  formed,  the 
individual  is  saved.  Prior  to  this  he  may  be  pressing  toward 
that  high  mark,  or  he  may  be  the  passive  creature  of  circum- 
stances, or  he  may  be  sweeping  in  the  direction  of  all  that  is 
vile — that  is,  of  hell. 


232  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  KcpJiart 

Man  is  a  triune  being.  His  personality  is  made  up  of  a 
physical,  an  intellectual,  and  a  moral  nature — body,  mind, 
and  spirit.  His  character  can  be  the  highest  only  when  his 
threefold  being  exists  harmoniously — the  body  healthy ;  the 
mind  active,  strong,  stored  with  knowledge ;  the  soul  ac- 
quainted with  God  and  in  cheerful  submission  to  the  divine 
will.  Such  a  state  is  salvation.  To  be  in  such  a  state  is  to  be 
in  possession  of  a  well-rounded  character — to  be  happy  in  the 
truest  sense.  James  Russell  Lowell,  contemplating  such  a 
state,  wrote : 

"For  this  true  nobleness  I  seek  in  vain, 
In  woman  and  in  man  I  find  it  not ; 
I  almost  weary  of  my  earthly  lot, 
My  lifesprings  were  dried  up  with  burning  pain. 
Thou  find'st  it  not?     I  pray  thee  look  again. 
Look  inward,  through  the  depths  of  thine  own  soul. 
How  is  it  with  thee?     Art  thou  sound  and  whole? 
Doth  narrow  search  show  thee  no  earthly  stain  ? 
Be  noble!  and  the  nobleness  that  lies 
In  other  men,  sleeping,  but  never  dead. 
Will  rise  in  majesty  to  meet  thine  own; 
Then  wilt  thou  see  it  gleam  in  many  eyes. 
Then  will  pure  light  around  thy  path  be  shed. 
And  thou  wilt  nevermore  be  sad  and  lone." 

He  who  is  the  embodiment  of  such  a  character  has  attained 
the  end  of  education.  By  passing  through  the  triune  educa- 
tional process,  he  has  been  lifted  up  out  of  the  lower  animal 
life,  and  placed  upon  the  higher  plane  of  moral,  spiritual 
being.  Thus  elevated  and  ennobled,  he  can  but  be  happy. 
Like  Paul  and  Silas,  he  can  sing  and  be  joyful  in  a  dungeon. 
You  could  not  make  him  miserable  if  you  were  to  shut  him 
up  in  perdition,  for,  in  the  language  of  John  Milton  : 

"The  mind  is  its  own  place. 
And  in  itself  can  make  a  heaven  of  hell, 
A  iiell  of  heaven." 

The  road  to  this  lofty  end  of  education  lies  across  deserts 
and  over  mountain  summits.  To  travel  that  road  success- 
fully, the  body  must  be  cared  for.  The  ignorance  and  passion 
that  obstruct  proper  physical  development  and  destroy  health 
of  body  must  be  avoided.  The  intellectual  struggles  essential 
to  mental  growth  and  strength  must  be  welcomed  and  prose- 


His  Ozvn  Writings  233 

cuted  to  a  finish.  Above  all,  the  voice  of  the  divine  Master- 
Teacher  must  be  heeded,  for  he  only  has  marked  out  the  path 
that  leads  to  the  inestimable  prize  of  true  soul-culture,  with- 
out which  there  is  no  complete  salvation — without  which 
character  in  its  highest  sense  can  never  be  attained. 

To  walk  this  highway  through  life  requires  eflfort.  The 
world's  Redeemer  has  provided  the  facilities  and  aflfords  the 
opportunities;  but  each  one  for  himself  must  act  well  his 
part  if  he  would  attain  to  the  high  destiny  placed  within  his 
reach.  This  is  at  once  conceded  in  matters  pertaining  to 
material  things.  He  who  would  reap  must  sow.  It  is  as 
readily  granted  in  regard  to  the  development  of  the  mind. 
He  who  would  understand  the  higher  mathematics  must  solve 
the  problems  which  lie  in  the  path  that  leads  up  to  that  plane 
of  knowledge. 

It  is  equally  true  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  culture  of  the 
soul — to  salvation  in  the  highest  sense.  Effort,  change  in 
character  is  essential  to  this.  A  mob  may  free  a  prisoner, 
but  no  mob  can  make  guilty  men  innocent.  Only  a  true 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Wiorld's  Redeemer  can 
accomplish  this  supernatural  feat.  But  he  who  would  thus 
know  Christ  and  his  salvation  must  seek  him  while  he  may 
be  found ;  must  call  upon  him  while  he  is  near ;  must  improve 
his  spiritual  opportunity. 

In  short,  in  the  whole  of  this  threefold  educational  process, 
leading  up  toi  the  highest  character  and  perfect  happiness, 
there  is  involved  opportunity,  with  the  obligation  to  improve 
the  same.  Success  here,  as  in  material  things,  hinges  upon 
aptness  to  perceive  and  alertness  to  improve  opportunity;  and 
happy  is  that  teacher  who  possesses  the  genius  to  inspire 
his  pupils  intensely  in  this  direction.  And  happy  are  those 
young  people,  also,  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have  their 
lots  cast  in  Christian  colleges — colleges  which  set  before  them 
these  high  ideals  of  human  existence,  and  in  which  the 
instructors  are  wont  to  point  them  to  the  Man  of  Nazareth 
as  the  infallible  Teacher  in  all  things  that  pertain  to  true 
manhood,  genuine  soul-culture,  and  complete  salvation.  In 
this  regard,  the  students  of  United  Brethren  colleges  can 
point  to  their  alnice  matres  with  a  just  pride. 

It  is  here  freely  admitted  that  the  college  course  is  not 
alone  in  determining  the  student's  character.  There  are 
many  other   agencies   and    forces   that   affect   them   favorably 


234  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

or  otherwise.  But  if  we  take  two  joung  men  who  have  grown 
up  under  similar  conditions,  and  subject  the  one  to  the 
influence  Orf  a  Christian  college,  and  the  other  to  the  worldly 
influence  of  a  rationalistic  university,  the  chances  are  nine 
to  ten  that  the  one  young  man  will  come  out  equipped  for 
usefulness,  and  the  other  lacking  in  this  direction,  his  char- 
acter deficient  in  the  things  essential  to  true  happiness. 

I  close,  then,  as  I  began :  The  end  of  education  is  the 
solution  of  the  problem  of  human  life.  The  problem  of  human 
life  is  happiness.  True  happiness  is  salvation.  Salvation  is 
character.  Therefore,  the  end  of  education  is  character, — true, 
clean,  upright,  intellectual.  Christlike, — and  the  Christian  col- 
lege is  a  potent  factor  in  developing  and  perfecting  such  a 
character. 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMON,  WESTFIELD  COLLEGE. 
June  10,  1888. 

Text,  L  Timothy  6 :  12. 

"Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal  life, 
whereunto  thou  art  also  called,  and  hast  professed  a  good 
profession  before  many  witnesses." 

Faith,  effort — these  are  the  forces  that  move  the  world. 
It  has  been  so  in  all  the  past,  it  is  so  now,  it  will  be  so  in  all 
time  to  come.  Vigorous  effort,  intelligently  directed  and 
sustained  by  a  firm  faith,  is  more  than  a  match  for  any  foe. 
This  is  the  conclusion  of  reason,  of  observation,  of  philosophy. 
No  faith,  no  effort ;  no  effort,  no  success.  Paul  was  both  a 
logician  and  a  philosopher.  As  a  logician,  he  had  a  keen 
sense  of  the  importance  to  Timothy  (who  was  then  a  young 
man)  of  vigorous  effort,  inspired  by  a  firm  laith ;  and  this 
was  intensified  by  his  philosophic  insight  into  the  nature  of 
things.    Hence  his  admonition,  "fight  the  good  fight  of  faith." 

To  fight  signifies,  primarily,  either  to  assail  a  foe  or  to 
repel  an  assault.  It  is  to  engage  in,  and  carry  on  a  conflict. 
In  its  nature  it  may  be  merely  physical,  as  when  brutes  con- 
tend for  file  mastery;  or  it  may  be  intellectual,  as  when 
opponents  measure  their  strength  in  a  forensic  encounter  in 
tlic  forum ;  or  if  may  be  both  intellectual  and  moral,  as  when 


His  Oii'ii   Writings  235 

the  chanipion  of  truth  and  right,  inspired  by  a  firm  faith  in. 
and  an  ardent  love  for  these  principles,  risks  his  all  in  advo- 
cating their  claims  or  repelling  their  assailants.  It  is  in  this 
last,  this  noblest  sphere  of  conflict,  that  the  world  has  exhib- 
ited some  of  the  most  sublime  examples  of  human  daring  and 
fidelity — Socrates  before  his  judges,  Regulus  in  his  reply  to 
the  Carthaginian  embassy,  the  apostles  and  Christian  martyrs 
dying  ignominiously  for  their  fidelity  to  Christ,  Luther  before 
the  Diet  of  Worms  exclaiming,  "Here  I  take  my  stand ;  I 
cannot  do  otherwise,  and  may  God  help." 

Human  battles,  whether  by  armies  or  by  individuals, 
whether  offensive  or  defensive,  imply  effort  intelligently 
directed,  and  are  based  upon  a  conviction  that  there  is  a 
chance  to  win ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  combatant's  faith 
is  strong,  believes  that  his  cause  is  just;  that  he  of  right 
ought  to  succeed ;  that  his  fight  is,  in  the  true  sense,  a  good 
one,  in  that  proportion  is  his  strength  augmented  and  are  his 
chances  to  win  increased.     Hence  the  importance  of  faith. 

In  its  most  comprehensive  sense,  faith  is  credit  given  to  a 
declaration  or  promise,  founded  on  the  authority  or  reputa- 
tion of  the  one  who  makes  the  promise.  It  is,  also,  confidence 
or  assurance  of  success,  founded  upon  an  intelligent  compre- 
hension of  the  plans  adopted  and  our  ability  and  determina- 
tion tio  execute  them.  "I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line 
if  it  takes  all  summer,"  was  but  a  laconic  expression  of  the 
great  commander's  faith. 

But  the  faith  referred  to  in  the  text  is  peculiar,  special.  It 
is  faith  in  Christ  as  the  Savior,  the  Redeemer,  the  God-man. 
As  such  it  combines  assent  with  reliance,  belief  with  trust. 
It  is  unwavering  confidence  in  Christ  as  being  all  that  he  is 
represented  to  be  in  the  gospel — confidence  in  the  gospel  plan 
as  being  the  very  best,  the  only  plan  for  saving  the  world. 

The  apostle  not  only  here  recognizes  faith  as  the  essential 
basis  of  successful  effort  in  Christ's  service,  but  throughout 
his  writings  he  invariably  designates  it  as  the  chief  element 
in  a  well-rounded  Christian  character,  that  element  which 
ultimates  in  a  complete  surrender  of  the  heart  and  mind  to 
the  controling,  molding  power  of  the  gospel,  from  a  convic- 
tion of  its  high  claims  and  of  its  meeting  the  longings  and 
felt  wants  of  the  soul. 

It  is  the  heart's  giving  its  complete  consent  to  the  terms  of 
salvation,    and    its    readiness    to    meet    all   the    conditions    of 


236  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcpliart 

growth  and  service  toward  a  complete  transformation  of  the 
affectiojis  within  and  the  life  without. 

In  the  absence  of  such  a  faith,  there  is  no  foundation  on 
which  to  build  a  character  that  will  stand  the  test  of  trial. 
He  who  would  be  successful  in  business  must  have  confidence 
in  his  plans  and  his  ability  to  execute  them.  He  who  would 
rise  as  a  scholar  must  have  confidence  in  his  own  abilities 
and  in  the  unerring  certainty  with  which  diligence  leads  to 
success.  He  who  would  come  to  the  front  in  his  profession 
must  be  inspired  by  a  firm  conviction  that  honest  methods 
and  earnest,  efficient  toil  are  sure  to  win  in  the  end.  These 
qualities  of  mind  and  soul  impart  to  their  possessor  a  strong, 
manly,  courageous  character,  because  they  give  to  him  assur- 
ance of  that  certainty  and  uniformity  in  the  operations  of 
nature  which  conspire  to  make  faithful  toil  satisfactory  and 
remunerative. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  certain  lack  of  confidence — a 
distrust  springing  naturally  out  of  conscious  lack  of  qualifi- 
cation, out  of  idleness,  carelessness,  and  dishonesty  which 
leads  as  unerringly  to  but  partial  success,  and  more  fre- 
quently to  complete  failure,  as  does  gravity  draw  the  plunging, 
foaming  waters  over  the  precipice  at  Niagara. 

In  the  trades  and  in  the  professions,  courage  and  confidence 
are  essential  to  success ;  and  a  consciousness  of  honest  meth- 
ods, intelligent  plans,  and  energetic  efforts  are  the  necessary 
foundations  of  this  courage  and  confidence.  This  may  not  be 
so  evident  when  all  is  prosperous ;  but  let  adversity  set  in, 
let  disaster  and  ruin  threaten,  and  then  he  who  lacks  these 
essentials  will  lose  his  courage  and  confidence,  yield  to  the 
surging  tide  and  go  down  a  wreck,  while  he  whose  assurance 
has  for  its  foundation  these  essential  convictions  will  keep 
his  head  above  the  storm  and  wrench  victory  out  of  the  very 
jaws  of  defeat.  Hence,  to  all  my  young  friends  present  here 
this  morning,  I  would  say,  impressively:  Do  you  desire  to 
be  successful  in  your  worldly  enterprises — in  life?  If  so, 
you  must  have  faith;  and  you  cannot  have  a  persistent, 
triumphant  faith  without  a  foundation  for  it  to  rest  upon ; 
and  the  solid  rocks  out  of  which  such  a  foundation  is  con- 
structed are,  first,  that  thorough  qualification  which  is  only 
secured  by  diligent  preparation,  hard  study,  earnest,  persistent 
work ;  second,  an  intelligent  comprehension  of  the  work  in 
hand,  a  knowledge  of  the  means  necessary  to  succeed  and  a 


His  Ozvn   JVritings  237 

diligent  use  of  those  means.  You  must  recognize  the  fact 
that,  other  things  being  equal,  that  worker  succeeds  best  who 
puts  the  most  brains  into  his  work ;  third,  honesty  of  purpose. 
These  are  the  great  foundation-stones  of  a  truly  successful 
earthly  career.  Remember  that  success  in  life  is  not  a  hap- 
hazard affair.  It  obeys  the  law  of  cause  and  effect  as  truly 
as  does  the  rise  of  the  tides  and  the  whirling  of  the  spheres, 
and  its  essential  element  is  a  well-founded  faith.  Ah,  there 
is  a  strength  and  power  of  endurance  in  the  conviction :  My 
plans  are  intelligently  formed,  my  efforts  are  all  that  they 
should  be,  my  purposes  are  honest,  and  my  motives  are  pure. 
That  possesses  all  the  characteristics  of  omnipotence.  We 
find  in  these  the  original  elements  out  of  which  the  world's 
triumphant  heroes  are  made. 

So  in  religious  matters.  That  genuine  faith  which  has 
Christ  for  its  foundation,  lifts  the  soul  above  the  discourage- 
ments which,  but  for  that  faith,  would  overwhelm  it.  Faith 
in  God  and  the  efficiency  of  divine  grace ;  faith  in  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  divine  promises,  such  as  "I  will  never  leave  thee 
nor  forsake  thee,"  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee";  faith  in 
the  better  life  which  faith  unfolds;  faith  in  the  final,  com- 
plete triumph  of  virtue;  faith  which  says,  "Right  must  win, 
since  God  is  God" — ^this  faith  is  the  vital  element  that  gives 
power  and  energy  and  consistency  to  all  that  goes  to  make 
up  a  perfectly  rounded  and  symmetrical  Christian  develop- 
ment. 

But  in  both  Christian  life  and  business  pursuits  the  essen- 
tials of  a  triumphant  faith  are  philosophically  the  same; 
namely,  thorough  investigation,  thorough  qualification,  thor- 
ough effect.  In  any  and  all  worldly  pursuits, — farming,  mer- 
chandising, the  mechanic  arts,  the  professions, — only  he  who 
so  gives  his  mind  to  his  work  as  to  know  that  he  thoroughly 
understands  it,  has  so  applied  himself  that  he  is  sure  that  he 
knows  how  to  do  the  work,  and  then,  at  the  proper  time, 
vigorously  applies  himself  to  the  work,  only  such  a  one  can 
have  a  solid  assurance  of  success. 

The  intelligent  farmer  believes  that  he  shall  succeed  because 
he  knows  that  he  is  faithfully  doing  his  work.  The  intelli- 
gent mechanic  expects  to  succeed  because  he  has  mastered 
his  trade  and  has  the  will  to  work  at  it.  The  professional 
man — the  physician,  the  lawyer,  the  teacher,  the  preacher — 
believes    that    he    shall    succeed    because    he    has    thoroughly 


238  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

qualified  liimself  for  his  work;  and  his  faith  havyig  this  firm 
foundation,  this  assurance  of  qualification,  it  is  to  him  a 
motive  power  that  moves  him  incessantly,  irresistibly  for- 
ward, and  he  fights  the  fight  of  faith  and  fights  it  success- 
fully, for  God  is  ever  on  the  side  of  thorough  qualification 
and  earnest,  honest  effort.  Just  as  the  steam  in  the  loco- 
motive not  only  propels  the  engine  along  the  track,  but 
enables  it  to  draw  the  ponderous  train,  so  the  faith  which 
rests  on  these  foundation-stones  drives  its  possessor  through 
life,  enabling  him  to  meet  successfully  life's  responsibilities. 

This  is  equally  true  in  religion.  Saving  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  cannot  be  attained  without  thought  and  effort. 
If  we  would  know  God,  we  must  inquire  after  him.  If  we 
would  know  "the  doctrine,"  so  as  to  believe  it,  we  must  do 
his  will.  Christ  says,  "If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine"  (John  7:17).  This  is  an  invariable 
law  of  acquiring  knowledge.  We  learn  to  know  by  doing, 
and  knowing  is  believing. 

The  intelligent  man  looks  around  and  sees  all  nature  teem- 
ing with  life,  and  all  life  evincing  intelligence  and  design. 
He,  reflecting,  says  to  himself:  "Surely  this  is  not  the  result 
of  chance.  Chance  never  made  the  eye  and  adapted  it  to 
light ;  chance  never  made  the  ear  and  adapted  it  to  sound ; 
chance  never  made  the  lungs  and  adapted  them  to  air; 
chance  never  could  have  made  all  nature  so  beautiful  and 
harmonious ;  chance  never  could  have  made  that  most  marvel- 
ous of  all  existences,  the  human  soul,  and  instilled  in  it  its 
undying  longings  for  perfect  bliss.     No,  there  is  a  God." 

From  this  conclusion  he  turns  to  the  Bible  and  finds  there 
revealed  just  such  a  God  as  nature  declares  must  exist.  He 
finds  there  revealed  a  perfectly  reasonable  plan  by  which  all 
the  imperfections  of  his  own  nature  may  be  provided  for  and 
all  the  longings  of  his  soul  may  be  satisfied.  His  irresistible 
conclusion  is,  the  go.spcl  is  divine.  He  yields  to  it  his  assent, 
believes  it,  and  honestly  sets  himself  to  complying  with  all 
it's  requirements.  Believing,  he  .seeks  for  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment, foir  absolution  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  for  freedom  from 
the  love  of  sin,  for  a  saving  acquaintance  with  God.  He 
believes  the  Word,  and  the  Word  says,  "Ye  must  be  born 
again."  Impelled  by  this  faith,  he  desires,  he  seeks,  he 
believes  God's  promises ;  he  trusts,  and  in  response  there 
comes  into  his  soul  the  true  light,  the  assurance  of  sins  for- 
given, the  joys  of  full  salvation. 


His  Ozvn  Writings  239 

Here,  then,  is  the  foundation  for  that  irresistible,  triumphant 
faith  which  moves  him  forward  through  life  a  transformed 
being.  It  has  changed  him  from  a  hopeless,  desponding  child 
of  earth  to  a  cheerful,  joyous  Christian;  from  a  selfish, 
grasping  miser  to.  a  generous  philanthropist.  It  has  put  a 
new  song  into  his  mouth  and  moves  him  on  through  life,  his 
countenance  beaming  with  the  joyous  hope  of  a  blissful 
immortality.  To  him  earth's  ills  are  but  trifles  which  he 
overcomes  with  ease,  for  he  is  inspired  with  the  assurance 
that  "these  light  afiflictions  which  are  but  for  a  moment  work 
for  him  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 
Blessed  faith  !     Glorious  prospect !     Triumphant  fight ! 

I  have  said  this  much  of  faith,  and  the  fight  of  faith  in  a 
general  waj^  but  not  without  a  purpose.  This  day  is,  to  a 
few  of  our  number,  an  important  day.  It  is  toi  mark  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  their  earthly  careers.  There  are  to 
go  out  from  this  morning's  service  those  who,  as  students, 
have  often  assembled  here,  but  who,  as  such,  meet  here 
to-day  for  the  last  time.  To  them  it  is  a  momentous  period. 
Behind  them  lie  all  the  realities,  pleasantries,  struggles,  joys 
of  childhood,  youth,  and  student  life.  Before  them  is  the 
mysterious,  hopeful,  uncertain  future.  Upon  this  mysterious, 
hopeful,  uncertain  future  they  are  about  to  launch.  In  this 
sense  they  are  to  leave  us.  And  as  when  the  young  man — 
the  father's  pride,  the  mother's  joy — is  about  to  leave  the 
parental  roof  to  try  his  fortunes  in  a  far-off,  strange  land, 
and  though  the  fond  parents  for  months  have  been  preparing 
for  his  safety  and  success,  they  now  endeavor  to  gi  :ve  him 
a  few  special  words  of  parting  admonition — ^of  serious,  solici- 
tous advice,  so  on  this  occasion  do  we  seek  to  do  the  same. 

Therefore,  to  you,  members  of  the  senior  class,  do  I  desire 
to  say  as  tenderly,  as  heroically,  as  impressively  as  possible, 
"Fight  the  good  iight  of  faith."  Fight  as  those  do  who  have 
for  the  foundation  oi  all  their  hopes,  aspirations,  and  inspira- 
tions an  intelligent,  abiding  faith  in  God,  faith  in  the  world's 
Redeemer,  faith  in  the  final  triumph  of  right. 

You  stand  at  the  threshold  of  active  life.  For  you  the 
period  of  preparation,  of  dependence  on  others,  of  the  care- 
less joyousness  of  youth  is  ended.  The  time  for  action,  for 
responsibility,  for  achievement,  for  the  work  of  life  to  begin 
is  here.  You  are  to  encounter  opportunities,  dangers,  difficul- 
ties, opposition,  temptation.     Not  all  who  embark,  as  you  do 


240  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

to-day,  upon  life's  voyage  successfully  weather  the  gale, 
thread  the  channels,  round  the  capes,  and  safely  enter  port. 
Some  are  dashed  upon  the  rocks  of  passion  and  appetite  and 
ruined  soon  after  setting  sail.  Others  have  a  prosperous, 
triumphant  voyage,  and  when  nearing  port  are  engulfed  in 
the  maelstrom  of  ambition,  wealth,  and  fashion,  and  go  down 
complete  moral  wrecks.  Others,  again,  venturing  far  out 
upon  the  unknown  sea  of  metaphysical  speculation,  become 
enveloped  in  the  clouds  of  mysticism  and  agnosticism,  throw 
away  their  chart,  and  paralyze  their  compass,  and  from  them 
there  never  comes  any  intelligence  that  tends  in  the  least  to 
permanently  benefit  the  race.  This  is  no  picture  of  fancy. 
It  has  been  true  of  many  who  once  set  sail  under  even  more 
favorable  circumstances  than  you  do.  Be  admonished  by 
their  fate.  Avoid  the  mistakes  that  compassed  their  ruin. 
Cherish  and  often  consult  your  chart — God's  Word.  Do  not 
paralyze  your  compass — conscience — by  yielding  to  the  de- 
mands of  expediency  in  opposition  to  your  sense  of  right. 

But  as  this  is  a  matter  of  vital  importance,  bear  with  me 
while  I  particularize.  In  some  respects  you  enter  upon 
active  life  at  a  most  critical,  dangerous  time.  As  a  nation 
we  are  moving  forward  in  material  prosperity  with  a  rapidity 
that  surpasses  that  of  all  other  times.  In  a  more  compre- 
hensive sense  than  ever  before  may  it  be  truly  said  to-day 
that  money  is  king.  Mammon  numbers  its  votaries  by  the 
million.  Wealth  commands  and  the  millions  obey.  Haman 
rides  forth  and  the  admirers  of  pelf  and  power  bow  to  him. 
Though  we  boast  of  our  freedom,  money  and  rum  rule  the 
country.  Three  men,  because  they  contral  several  hundred 
millions  of  dollars,  can  control  the  election  of  the  President 
of  these  United  States.  None  but  millionaires  enter  the 
United  States  Senate  nowadays.  No  less  an  authority  than 
Ex-United  States  Senator  Windom  declares  that  we  are 
to-day  actually  and  practically  a  rum-ruled  nation  because 
of  the  money  there  is  in  the  trafBc. 

Now,  young  people  of  pluck,  see  this — sec  the  power  of 
money;  and  the  danger  is  that  they  will  conclude  that  the 
only  road  to  honorable  positions  is  through  the  agency  of 
wealth,  and  bending  all  their  energies  in  the  direction  of 
mammon,  will  sacrifice  principle  and  outrage  their  sense  of 
right  to  become  rich  and  secure  positions. 

Make   not   this    fatal    mistake.     Remember    that    there    are 


His  Ozvn  Writings  241 

treasures  within  your  reach  far  more  precious  than  gold  or 
office.  Louis  Agassiz  said  he  had  no  time  to  make  money. 
In  bringing  to  light  the  hidden  truths  of  science  he  found 
delight  far  surpassing  that  that  is  to  be  found  in  the  posses- 
sion of  gold.  And  by  his  valuable  contributions  to  science  he 
reared  for  himself  a  monument  which  for  durability  and 
magnificence  far  exceeds  those  erected  by  Rameses  or 
Croesus. 

To  strive  to  become  wealthy  and  secure  honorable  positions 
is  legitimate  and  laudable,  provided  the  effort  be  in  harmony 
with  the  good  fight  of  faith.  See  to  it,  then,  that  your  desires 
and  efforts  in  this  direction  do  not  swerve  you  a  hair's  breadth 
from  your  convictions  of  duty  and  honesty.  Faith  in  the 
final  triumph  of  virtue  declares  that  while  a  dishonest  dollar 
may  add  permanently  to  your  bank  account,  it  necessarily 
bankrupts  your  conscience — your  soul — and  compels  3'ou  to 
write  yourself  down  a  villain.  Engrave  upon  your  souls  and 
take  as  your  motto  the  inspired  declaration  uttered  by  Henry 
Clay,  "It  is  better  to  be  right  than  to  be  President."  Remem- 
ber that,  even  if  you  could  do  it,  you  cannot  afford  to  secure 
a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  by  fraud,  duplicity,  and 
the  corrupt  use  of  money;  for  such  a  seat  so  secured,  in  the 
very  nature  of  things,  brands  its  possessor  a  thief,  a  knave, 
and  a  hypocrite,  and  shuts  him  out  of  heaven. 

Again,  this  national  thirst  for  wealth  is  strongly  tending 
in  the  direction  of  neglecting  the  development  of  man's  moral, 
spiritual  nature.  The  best  and  highest  part  of  man  is  for- 
gotten. The  danger  of  the  hour  is  that  even  the  educated 
classes  will  lose  out  of  themselves  the  most  ennobling  ele- 
ments of  life,  and  will  satisfy  themselves  with  knowing  the 
seen,  and  not  knowing  the  unseen  God.  That  these  are 
among  the  evils  and  tendencies  of  the  times  all  thoughtful 
men  must  admit.  Coming,  as  you  will,  in  contact  with  this 
tendency,  I  implore  you  to  confront  it  manfully;  and,  sus- 
tained by  an  abiding  belief  of  the  inspired  declaration  that 
"the  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  that  are 
unseen  are  eternal,"  fight  it  to  the  very  death.  The  best 
interests  of  the  race  demand  of  you  true  heroism  at  this 
point.  Deprive  the  race  of  its  conviction  that  God  exists, 
and  that  man  is  accountable  to  him,  and  human  society 
becomes  chaiotic  and  peace  and  prosperity  an  impossibility. 
Hence,  in  this  conflict  of  belief  with  unbelief,  be  not  indif- 


242  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kephart 

ferent  spectators — be  heroes.  Inspired  by  faith,  take  your 
stand,  assert  your  convictions,  fight.  Truth  and  right  demand 
this  of  you ;  your  own  soul's  interests  demand  this  of  you. 
You  cannot  have  a  strong,  self-conscious  respect  for  yourself 
if  you  do  less  than  this. 

Again,  in  your  individual  lives  live  in  accordance  with  the 
gospel  idea.  Remember  that  it  is  our  being,  rather  than  our 
doing,  that  requires  our  attention.  We  may  do  right  without 
being  right ;  but  we  cannot  be  right  without  doing  right. 
Doing  right  follows  naturally  out  of  being  right.  Hence, 
carefully  scrutinize  and  properly  regulate  your  inner  life. 
Inspiration  declares,  "As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is 
he." 

The  world  to-day  is  greatly  given  to  deception.  But  a  true 
faith  assures  its  possessor  that,  in  the  end,  low  cunning, 
duplicity,  and  false  show  must  go  to  the  wall.  "God  looketh 
on  the  heart."  In  proportion  as  you  are  right  at  heart  will 
be  your  influence  in  favor  of  right.  Therefore,  if  you  are  to 
be  a  power  to  raise  men  above  the  self-seeking  and  passion- 
slavery  of  a  carnal  life,  you  must  yourself,  in  your  thoughts 
and  aspirations,  be  elevated  to  this  higher  moral  plane.  You 
must  show,  by  yourselves  and  in  yourselves,  that  wealth  is 
not  essential  to  happiness,  and  that  there  is  in  the  soul  what 
no  outward  loss  or  gain  can  destroy  or  create.  In  j-our 
college  course  you  have  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  knowl- 
edge, a  certain  strength  of  discipline  of  the  mental  faculties. 
But,  in  addition  to  this,  we  have  earnestly  sought  to  lead  you 
into  the  inner,  intellectual,  spiritual  life.  By  entering  this 
realm  your  lives  are  placed  upon  this  highest  plane,  and  you 
are  enabled,  if  you  will,  to  know  in  yourselves  the  noblest 
manhood.  There  is  no  one  of  you  but  has  the  consciousness 
of  this  whenever  he  turns  his  most  serious  thought  upon 
himself,  and  has  his  deepest  insight  into  what  is  best  within 
himself.  Surely,  then,  if  there  is  an  inspiration  breathing 
itself  into  your  souls  from  these  past  years,  or  a  call  of  duty 
as  you  go  forth  from  this  college,  which  speaks  to  you  with 
a  clearer  voice  than  any  other,  it  is  that  you  should  carry 
forward  with  you  to  the  end  this  life  of  the  mind  and  .soul, 
the  reality  and  value  of  which  you  have  already  been  made 
to  appreciate. 

But  to  do  this  you  mu.st  "fight."  There  will  come  times 
when    worldly    interests    and    fidelity    to    the    interests    anil 


His  Own  Writings  243 

promptings  of  this  soul-life  will  conflict.  It  was  so  with 
Timothy,  with  Paul ;  it  has  been  so  with  all  the  great  and 
good  of  earth;  it  will  be  so  with  you.  Oh,  then,  "fight  the 
good  fight  of  faith." 

There  may  also  come  times  when,  entangled  and  bewildered 
in  the  deceptive  nets  and  blinding  fogs  of  metaphysical 
speculations  and  atheistic  agnosticism,  you  will  be  tempted 
to  conclude  that  the  very  foundations  of  faith  are  giving 
way;  when,  looking  upon  the  world  from  a  human  stand- 
point, you  will  see,  or  think  you  see  that  condition  of  things 
prevalent  in  human  affairs  so  graphically  portrayed  in  the 
Seventy-third  Psalm — ^the  wicked  triumphant  and  the  right- 
eous cast  down,  fraud  and  deception  successful  and  honesty 
derided ;  when  you  will  be  tempted  to  doubt  everything,  even 
that  God  exists.  This,  in  the  language  of  Doctor  Robertson, 
is  an  awful  hour  to  him  who  experiences  it :  "When  this  life 
has  lost  its  meaning,  and  seems  shriveled  intoi  a  span ;  when 
the  grave  appears  to  be  the  end  of  all,  and  human  goodness 
nothing  but  a  name ;  and  the  sky  above  this  universe  a  dead 
expanse,  black  with  the  void  from  which  God  himself  has 
disappeared.  In  that  fearful  loneliness  of  spirit,  that  seething 
cauldron  of  doubt  and  dread,  I  know  but  one  way  in  which 
a  man  may  come  forth  from  his  agony  scatheless.  It  is  by 
holding  fast  to  the  foundations  of  his  faith,  to  those  things 
that  are  certain  still,  the  grand,  simple,  immovable  landmarks 
of  Christianity.  In  the  darkest  hour  through  which  a  human 
soul  can  pass,  whatever  else  is  doubtful,  these  at  least  are 
certain.  Even  if  there  be  no  God  and  no  future  state,  yet 
even  then  it  is  better  to  be  generoius  than  selfish,  better  to 
be  chaste  than  licentious,  better  to  be  true  than  false,  better 
to  be  brave  than  to  be  a  coward.  Blessed  be3'ond  all  earthly 
blessedness  is  the  man  who,  in  the  tempestuous  darkness  of 
the  soul,  has  dared  to  hold  fast  to  these  venerable  landmarks. 
Thrice  blessed  is  he  who,  when  all  is  drear  and  cheerless 
within  and  without,  when  his  teachers  terrify  him  and  his 
friends  shrink  from  him,  has  obstinately  clung  to  moral 
good.  Thrice  blessed,  because  his  night  shall  pass  into  clear, 
bright  day.  Having  passed  through  that  hour  of  agony,  lie 
stands  upon  the  rock  at  last,  the  surges  stilled  below  him, 
and  the  last  cloud  drifted  from  the  sky  above,  with  a  faith 
and  hope  and  trust  no  longer  traditional,  but  his  own — a  trust 
which  neither  earth  nor  hell  can  shake  henceforth  forever." 
He  has  fought  "the  good  fight  of  faith." 


244  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

Again,  be  not  timid  doubters.  Think  your  own  thoughts; 
come  to  your  own  conclusions;  have  the  courage  of  your 
convictions.  The  vi^orld  needs  to-day  men  and  women  who 
not  only  have  opinions  on  all  the  great  moral,  social  issues  of 
the  day,  but  who,  inspired  by  faith  in  the  triumph  of  right, 
dare  to  declare  and  defend  those  opinions.  Time-serving, 
expediency,  bigotry,  narrow-minded  partisanship  are  shackling 
truth,  obstructing  justice,  clogging  the  wheels  of  progress,  and 
prolonging  the  reign  of  fraud,  monopoly,  and  rum.  Open 
your  eyes  to  these  facts,  and,  Samson-like,  rend  these  cords 
with  which  the  partisan  would  bind  you  and  assert  your 
liberty.  Let  j'our  faith  in  God  assure  you  that  when  you 
conscientiously  do  your  duty,  as  God  gives  you  to  see  your 
duty,  that  then,  and  then  only  will  the  Omnipotent  justify 
your  act  and,  for  you,  take  care  of  the  consequences.  The 
thinking  of  this  college,  and  of  every  Christian  college,  is  an 
independent  thinking — a  thinking  that  recognizes  the  right  of 
each  honest.  God-fearing  man  to  his  own  opinions — a  think- 
ing that  recognizes  the  fact  that  "every  man  shall  give  account 
for  himself  to  God."  But  it  is  not  a  thinking  which  ends  in 
negations.  Human  experience  has  demonstrated  that  it  is 
the  possession  of  positive  truth  that  gives  energy  and  effect- 
iveness and  heroic  enthusiasm  and  highest  worth  to  all  living. 
All  the  moral  heroes  of  the  world  have  been  men  of  positive 
convictions.  A  negative  faith  may  beget  hesitancy — may 
obstruct,  but  it  never  can  lead  to  victory. 

Again,  remember  that  this  "fight  of  faith"  is  a  life  of  con- 
flict. It  is  not  for  a  few  days.  He  who  would  win  must  not 
enlist  for  a  limited  number  of  years,  but  for  "during  the  war," 
and  the  war  ends  only  with  death.  "Be  thou  faithful  until 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life,"  is  the  divine 
command  and  promise.  Constant,  unswerving  fidelity  all 
through  life  is  required.  It  requires  but  little  courage  or 
self-denial  to  defend  the  right  when  the  right  is  popular. 
When  the  multitude  shouted  "Hosanna!"  Peter  marched 
boldly  in  the  procession,  and  doubtless  shouted,  too;  but  in 
the  judgment-hall,  even  the  words  of  a  timid  maiden  caused 
him  to  deny  with  an  oath.  He  who  stands  by  his  convictions 
of  duty  defends  his  Master  through  evil  report  as  well  as 
through  good  report,  standing  alone  as  well  as  with  the 
multitude  even  unto  death.  He  is  the  moral  hero.  And  it  is 
when  the  interests  of  truth  demand  that  you  stand  alone  in 


His  Ozvii  Writings  215 

its  defense  that  your  true  mettle  will  be  put  to  the  severest 
test.  Such  times  will  come  to  you,  and  well  will  it  be  then, 
inspired  by  loyalty  to  truth  and  right,  you  "fight  the  good  fight 
of  faith."  It  is  under  such  circumstances  that  the  qualities 
of  the  true  hero  manifest  themselves.  Well  has  the  poet 
said : 

"Count  me  o'er  earth's  chosen  heroes — 

They  were  souls  that  stood  alone, 
While  the  men  they  agonized  for 

Hurled  the  contumelious  stone; 
Stood  serene,  and  down  the  future 

Saw  the  golden  beam  incline 
To  the  side  of  perfect  justice, 

Mastered  by  their  faith  divine, 
By  one  man's  plain  truth  to  manhood, 

And  to  God's  supreme  design." 

If,  in  the  providence  of  God,  some  great  reform  in  the 
interests  of  humanity  require  that  you  stand  alone,  bravely 
take  your  position.  Garrison  and  Phillips  were  egged  and 
stoned,  and  Lovejoy  was  murdered,  because  they  dared  to 
stand  out  conspicuously  in  oppOiSition  to  slavery.  Think  you 
their  names  will  ever  perish?  Haddock  and  Gambrel  have 
been  assassinated  because  they  dared  to  cry  out  against  the 
iniquitous  rum  traffic.  Think  you  they  died  in  vain?  Just  as 
Leonidas  and  his  Spartan  band,  by  heroically  dying  at  Ther- 
mopylae, bequeathed  the  boon  of  liberty  to  Greece,  so  these 
heroes  and  martyrs  have  bequeathed  to  their  country  the 
inestimable  example  of  noble  daring  in  defense  of  truth  and 
right ;  and  their  names  will  be  cherished  by  the  good  and 
great  long  after  the  names  of  their  persecutors  and  murderers 
have  perished  from  the  earth. 

Again,  I  would  warn  you  against  a  growing  tendency 
among  educated  men  to  abandon  the  Christian  religion  for  a 
secular  theory  based  on  science  and  culture.  President 
Porter,  on  retiring  from  Yale  University,  in  June  last,  called 
attention  to  this  in  the  following  apt,  impressive  manner : 
"A  vigorous  Christianity  is  needed  in  our  colleges  and  uni- 
versities to  counteract  and  overcome  tendencies  which  are 
active  in  science  and  culture  of  our  time.  These  tendencies 
are  the  natural  tendencies  of  science  and  culture  when  pur- 
sued for  selfish  ends  and  uncontrolled  bv  the  higher  aims  of 


246  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kcphart 

religion  and  the  love  of  man.  Science  stimulates  and  rewards 
the  love  of  power.  If  takes  individual  effort  and  rewards  it 
with  the  pleasure  of  interpreting  nature's  secrets,  of  under- 
standing her  laws,  and  imitating  or  sympathizing  with  her 
skill.  So  long  as  science  recognizes  these  powers  and  laws 
as  the  powers  and  actings  of  God,  so  long  does  she  open  the 
gateway  to  worship  and  faith.  So  long  as  her  devotee  is 
trained  to  the  docility  of  a  little  child,  it  is  almost  the  same 
whether  he  knocks  at  the  door  of  the  hall  of  science  or  at  the 
door  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

But  as  soon  as  the  investigator  begins  to  imagine  himself 
to  be  the  Creator ;  so  soon  as  the  interpretations  of  the 
scientist  are  mistaken  for  the  plan  that  was  devised  and  the 
agent  which  executes;  so  soon  as  the  order  and  unfolding 
of  the  plan  sets  aside  both  thinker  and  actor,  then  emerges 
the  scientific  atheism  of  our  day.  But  the  fact  that  we  are 
students  lays  upon  us  the  additional  obligation  to  try  our 
faith  by  the  light  of  reason  and  to  justify  and  shape  our 
devotion  by  the  tests  of  culture.  If  we  think  as  philo.sophers, 
we  must  ask  and  answer  the  question  whether  philosophy 
of  necessity  accepts  or  denies  the  living,  personal  God.  If 
we  answer  this  question  in  the  negative,  we  must  sadly  and 
sorrowfully  turn  cy.ir  faces  to  the  wall,  blank  and  chilly 
though  it  be,  which  shuts  the  living  God  forever  out  of  our 
light,  and  on  which  we  write  in  vain  some  meaningless 
formulas  or  paint  a  few  brilliant  pictures.  If  we  answer  "yes," 
we  rejoice  as  none  but  the  believing  philosopher  can  in  the 
ten  thousand  voices  with  which  he  hears  the  universe  of 
law  and  order  reecho  with  the  prai.ses  of  the  Father  of  spirits. 

My  young  friends,  whenever  and  wherever  you  encounter 
this  specious  modern  culturism  oppose  it,  and  let  j^our  oppo- 
sition be  that  which  has  for  its  foundation  a  firm  belief  of 
the  fact  that  when  the  advance  of  true  intellectual,  moral 
culture  has  swept  away  all  the  rubbish  of  false  theories, 
Christianity  will  remain  as  it  ever  has  been,  the  brilliant 
star  of  Bethlehem,  seen  by  the  eye  of  faith  and  leading  on 
to  the  paradise  of  God. 

Certain  it  is  that  the  signs  of  the  times  point  clearly  to 
the  not  distant  future  when  even  political  science  will  discover 
that  it  can  neither  state  nor  correctly  solve  its  problems 
witliout  recognizing  man  as  a  moral,  spiritual  being  and  man's 


His  Ozvu   Writings  247 

relations  to  God  and  duty  and  faith.  Let  the  power  of  this 
Christian  faith  be  your  perpetual  inspiration  to  a  faithful 
Christian  life. 

Once  more,  let  me  inspire  you  with  firmness  and  enthusiasm 
in  your  determination  to  fight  this  good  fight,  by  assuring  you 
that  in  it  there  is  no  danger,  not  even  the  possibility  of  defeat. 
In  it  you  can  but  win.  In  respect  to  worldly  hopes  and  pros- 
pects you  may  be  disappointed.  It  often  happens  that  when 
the  coveted  earthly  prize  is  about  to  be  grasped  it  eludes 
us.  It  was  so  with  Webster,  it  was  so  with  Claj^  it  was  so 
with  Tilden,  it  was  so  with  Blaine.  The  pathway  of  life, 
in  so  far  as  the  pleasures  and  treasures  of  earth  are  concerned, 
is  strewn  with  blasted  hopes  and  broken  promises.  At  best 
earth  pleasures  fade  and  decay  and  earth's  joys  are  fleeting. 
Wrecked  fortunes,  blasted  hopes,  and  ruined  reputations — 
how  full  the  world  is  of  these  1  How  terribly  men  have  been 
disappointed  as  to  the  outcome  of  their  earthly  struggles. 
Not  so,  however,  as  to  the  result  of  the  good  fight  of  faith. 
Our  divine  Master  said,  "Not  as  the  world  giveth  give  I  unto 
you ;  let  not  j'our  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid." 
The  ultimate  result  of  this  good  fight  is  complete  victory 
in  every  case.  Inspired  by  a  living  faith,  the  fighters  zealously, 
conscientiousl}'  comply  with  all  the  conditions  of  triumph. 
Each  individual  life  may,  and  should  contribute  to  the 
advancement  of  righteousness  in  the  world,  and  the  life  that 
does  this  to  the  extent  of  its  ability  and  circumstances 
answers  life's  great  end.  The  working  of  individual  men 
and  women  in  their  individual  spheres  bears  the  world  on  to 
purity  and  truth.     This  you  may  all  do. 

Remember  that  the  all-seeing  Eye  is  upon  you,  that  the 
infinite  God  is  pledged  to  attach  the  proper  effects  to  the 
causes  you  set  in  motion,  and  that  an  act  honestly  performed, 
a  ballot  conscientiously  cast  is  not  forgotten  by  him.  Years 
ago  in  the  cit}'  of  Cincinnati,  when  to  befriend  a  negro,  was 
to  socially  ostracize  him  who  had  the  temerity  to  do  so,  a 
promising  young  lawyer  dared  to  defend  an  escaped  slave  in 
open  court.  Worldly-wise  men  thought  he  had  ruined  all  his 
future  proispects.  They  knowingly  winked  at  each  other  and 
said,  "What  a  pity  a  young  man  of  so  much  promise  should 
blast  all  his  prospects  by  stooping  to  secure  a  fair  trial  for 
a  nigger."  But  God  was  carefully  looking  down  upon  that 
scene,  and  especially  upon  that  yOung  man's  heart.  That 
noble    act    in   behalf   of   God's   oppressed    was    not    forgotten. 


248  Life  of  Isaiah  L.  Kepliart 

As  a  direct  result  of  it,  and  in  less  than  twenty-five  years, 
Salmon  P.  Chase  (that  same  young  man)  was  exalted  to  a 
seat  in  the  United  States  Senate.  How  wonderfully,  in  his 
case,  was  verified  the  divine  declaration,  "He  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted." 

Lastly,  you  will  encounter  the  political  and  social  struggles 
incident  to  our  form  of  government.  See  to  it,  then,  that  no 
personal  or  partisan  considerations  turn  you  a  hair's  breadth 
from  your  honest  conviction  of  duty.  See  to  it  that  you 
stand  boldly  on  the  side  of  law  and  against  anarchy;  on  the 
side  of  the  Christian  Sabbath  and  against  the  Parisian  holiday 
Sunday;  on  the  side  of  the  purity  of  the  ballot-box  and 
against  ballot-box  stuffing;  on  the  side  of  the  home  and 
against  the  saloon;  and  having  taken  your  stand,  fight  the 
good  fight  of  faith,  even  if  you  should  stand  alone. 

In  the  coming  ages,  when  this  republic  shall  have  been 
purified ;  when  law  shall  be  reverenced  and  obeyed  by  all ; 
when  by  all  the  Christian  Sabbath  shall  be  observed  in  spirit ; 
when  the  vote-buying,  ballot-box  stuffing,  tally-sheet  forging 
politician  shall  have  ceased  to  exist ;  when  there  shall  be  no 
saloon  and  no  legalized  rum  traffic  to  make  war  upon  the 
home,  the  pure  and  the  true  of  that  day  will  look  back  upon 
those  who  now  boldly  declare  against  these  vicious  enemies 
of  humanity  with  the  same  awe  and  reverence  that  the  good 
men  and  women  of  the  entire  nation  now  look  back  upon 
Washington,  Lincoln,  Garrison,  Sumner,  and  their  illustrious 
compeers.  In  their  day  they  championed  the  right  when  the 
right  was  in  the  minority,  and  posterity  reveres  their  mem- 
ory, because  they  "fought  the  good  fight  of  faith." 

Above  all  things,  my  young  friends,  be  true  to  your  divine 
Master.  Wherever  he  leads  do  not  hesitate  to  follow.  Soon 
you  will  go  out  from  this  college  to  be  associated  with  us  no 
more.  Our  friendly  intercourse,  hitherto  so  pleasant,  so 
endearing,  must  cease.  In  this  world  we  shall  never  meet 
again  as  now.  The  thought  gives  us  pain.  But  for  all  who 
follow  in  the  Master's  footsteps,  by  and  by  there  will  be  a 
joyful  reunion.  When,  in  a  few  short  years,  life's  battles 
are  fought,  life's  tears  are  shed,  life's  victories  are  won,  then, 
in  answer  to  the  Master's  tender  call, 

"We   shall  meet  beyond  the  river. 
Where  the  surges  cease  to  roll. 
Where  in  all  the  height  forever 
Sorrow  ne'er  shall  press  the  soul." 


His  Ozvii  Writings  249 

It  is  said  that  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  Lord  Wellington, 
comprehending  the  importance  to  him  of  a  certain  position, 
ordered  a  large  division  of  his  army  to  hold  it  at  all  hazards. 
The  commander  responded,  "Tell  his  lordship  he  '11  find  us 
there."  After  the  battle  was  over,  they  were  found  at  their 
post — ^all  dead.  But  they  held  the  position,  and  so  the  victory 
was  won. 

See  to  it,  my  young  friends,  that  when  life's  great  conflict 
is  ended  you  are  all  found  at  your  posts.  Equipped  for  this 
conflict,  then,  with  firmness  in  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to 
see  the  right,  "fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and  lay  hold  on 
eternal  life."     Amen. 


